The incorporation of the element fluorine into organic compounds is extremely important for designing molecules with specific function. Fluorine is primed for improving the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs and agrochemicals, and is crucial for the life-changing imaging technique, Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Thus, the selective addition of fluorine into compounds is an area of significant interest in the field of organic synthesis.
Currently, the methods for incorporating fluorine into organic molecules are limited. The types of substrate, the types of bond and the types of functional groups that can be fluorinated are limited. In addition, the types of reagent that are employed are generally unsustainable, as they generate a lot of waste and also require a large energy input to prepare them. In this project we are working to solve these problems through the development of a suite of novel and sustainable fluorination methods.
This research project is developing a concept that is delivering new, selective and sustainable methods for fluorination chemistry. Our strategy relies on the combination of catalysis and electrochemical oxidation with nucleophilic sources of fluoride to design thermodynamically-challenging transformations. The use of electrochemical oxidation is an integral part of our strategy because it is inherently tuneable and sustainable. We are focussing our efforts on several functional groups and substrate classes that have not been previously fluorinated in a selective manner. Medicinal, process and radio chemists will all benefit from the methods developed, thereby facilitating the discovery and manufacture of drugs and chemicals that improve the quality of human life around the globe.
