Synthesis of push-pull-activated ynol ethers and their evaluation in the bioorthogonal hydroamination reaction.

A new class of push-pull-activated alkynes featuring di- and trifluorinated ynol ethers was synthesized. The difluorinated ynol ether exhibited an optimal balance of stability and reactivity, displaying a substantially improved half-life in the presence of aqueous thiols over the previously reported 1-haloalkyne analogs while reacting just as fast in the hydroamination reaction with ,-diethylhydroxylamine. The trifluorinated ynol ether reacted significantly faster, exhibiting a second order rate constant of 0.56 M s in methanol, but it proved too unstable toward thiols. These fluorinated ynol ethers further demonstrate the importance of the hyperconjugation-rehybridization effect in activating alkynes and demonstrate how substituent effects can both activate and stabilize alkynes for bioorthogonal reactivity.