Nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S N Ar) is widely used by organic chemists to functionalize aromatic molecules, and it is the most commonly used method to generate arenes that contain a 18 F for use in PET imaging. 1 A wide range of nucleophiles exhibit S N Ar reactivity, and the operational simplicity of the reaction means that the transformation can be conducted reliably and on large scales. 2 During S N Ar, attack of a nucleophile at a carbon atom bearing a 'leaving group' leads to a negatively charged intermediate called a Meisenheimer complex. Only arenes with electron-withdrawing substituents can sufficiently stabilize the resulting build-up of negative charge during Meisenheimer complex formation, limiting the scope of S N Ar reactions: the most common S N Ar substrates contain strong π-acceptors in the ortho and/or para position(s). 3 In this manuscript, we present an unusual concerted nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction (CS N Ar) that is not limited to electron-poor arenes, because it does not proceed via a Meisenheimer intermediate. We show a phenol deoxyfluorination reaction for which CS N Ar is favored over a stepwise displacement. Mechanistic insights enabled us to develop a functional grouptolerant 18 F-deoxyfluorination reaction of phenols, which can be used to synthesize 18 F-PET probes. Selective 18 F introduction, without the need for the common, but cumbersome, azeotropic drying of 18 F, can now be accomplished from phenols as starting materials, and provides access to 18 F-labeled compounds not accessible through conventional chemistry.Users may view, print, copy, and download text and data-mine the content in such documents, for the purposes of academic research, subject always to the full Conditions of use: http://www.nature.com/authors/editorial_policies/license.html#termsReprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints.Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to T.R. (ritter@mpi-muelheim.mpg.de). Supplementary Information is available in the online version of the paper. Readers are welcome to comment on the online version of the paper.
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Author ManuscriptNucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions generally take place via either an additionelimination or elimination-addition mechanism. Both two-step mechanisms display a highenergy intermediate, either an aryne species (elimination-addition) or a Meisenheimer complex (addition-elimination). 2,4 A concerted displacement of the leaving group by an incoming nucleophile could avoid the formation of high-energy intermediates and thus broaden the scope of suitable electrophiles. Displacements at primary aliphatic centers, where charge build-up in a hypothetical S N 1 mechanism is unfavorable, commonly take place via a concerted mechanism involving the σ * (C alkyl -LG) orbital (S N 2 mechanism). For aromatic substrates a direct substitution pathway involving the σ * orbital of the areneleaving group bond (σ ...