Halogen-bond-promoted direct cross-coupling of ethyl 3-bromo-3-alkyl-2,2-difluoropropanoates with coumarins/quinolinones

Abstract

Herein, we developed a practical method for the direct cross-coupling of ethyl 3-bromo-3-alkyl-2,2-difluoropropanoates with coumarins/quinolinones, leveraging a halogen bond as the pivotal non-covalent interaction. Employing this protocol, a library of structurally diverse difluoroalkylated coumarin and quinolinone derivatives has been successfully synthesized under mild reaction conditions, affording moderate to good yields. Notably, compound 3l demonstrated potent antitumor efficacy against both Huh-7 and A549 cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 4.6 μM and 6.8 μM, respectively.