Accessing spirocyclobutanes via cyclopropylcarbinyl cation rearrangements remains challenging due to competing pathways. Herein, we report an HFIP-enabled, BF3-catalyzed rearrangement-cyclization of cyclopropylcarbinyl alcohols, delivering diverse spirocyclobutanes in up to 95% yield. Subsequent derivatizations highlight synthetic utility, while DFT studies reveal that HFIP reshapes the reaction energy landscape to enhance the reactivity and selectivity.
Geng et al. (Mon,) studied this question.