Silver-Catalyzed Cascade Radical Isonitrile Insertion/Defluorinative Cyclization: Direct Synthesis of 4-CF2H-2-Phosphinoyl-quinolines

A novel silver-catalyzed cascade radical isonitrile insertion and defluorinative cyclization have been developed to synthesize CF2H- and phosphinoyl-containing quinolines from ortho-isocyanyl α-trifluoromethylstyrenes. The reaction proceeded under redox-neutral conditions and allowed the construction of a highly attractive quinoline ring system, with the simultaneous formation of the CF2H group and introduction of various phosphinoyl groups in a single transformation, showing operational simplicity, a wide substrate scope, good tolerance for functional groups, and remarkable atom-/stepeconomy. Mechanistic studies indicated that the reaction is likely to involve the participation of P-centered radicals and key carbanion intermediates.