Iridium-Catalyzed Borylation of 6-Fluoroquinolines: Access to 6-Fluoroquinolones

The Ir-catalyzed C-H borylation of fluoroquinolines has been realized. The quinoline boronic ester formed undergoes a range of important transformations of relevance to medicinal chemistry. Judicious choice of the substituent at C4 on the quinoline facilitated the unmasking of a fluoroquinolone─the core structure of many antibiotics.