Mechanism and Origin of the Unexpected Chemoselectivity in Fluorocyclization of <i>o</i>‑Styryl Benzamides with a Hypervalent Fluoroiodane Reagent

The mechanism and origin of the unexpected chemoselectivity in fluorocyclization of <i>o</i>-styryl benzamide with a cyclic hypervalent fluoroiodane reagent were explored with DFT calculations. The calculations suggested an alternative mechanism that is broadly similar to, but also critically different from, the previously proposed mechanism for the formation of an unexpected structurally novel seven-membered 4-fluoro-1,3-benzoxazepine. The amide group of <i>o</i>-styryl benzamide was revealed to be crucial for activating the fluoroiodane reagent and facilitating C–F bond formation. In contrast to the popular electrophilic N–F reagent Selectfluor, the F atom in the fluoroiodane reagent is nucleophilic, and the I­(III) atom is the most electrophilic site, thus inducing a completely different reactivity pattern. The insights reported here will be valuable for the further development of new reactions based on the hypervalent fluoroiodane reagent