Vaughn A. Engelhardt

Bio: Vaughn A. Engelhardt is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Sulfur tetrafluoride & Ketone. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 7 publications receiving 470 citations.

Introduction of Fluorine and Fluorine-Containing Functional Groups

Abstract: Over the past decade, the most significant, conceptual advances in the field of fluorination were enabled most prominently by organo- and transition-metal catalysis. The most challenging transformation remains the formation of the parent C-F bond, primarily as a consequence of the high hydration energy of fluoride, strong metal-fluorine bonds, and highly polarized bonds to fluorine. Most fluorination reactions still lack generality, predictability, and cost-efficiency. Despite all current limitations, modern fluorination methods have made fluorinated molecules more readily available than ever before and have begun to have an impact on research areas that do not require large amounts of material, such as drug discovery and positron emission tomography. This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.

CF3-bearing aromatic and heterocyclic building blocks

Abstract: Fluorine remains an insiders' tip in the life sciences as it enables the fine-tuning of biological properties. However, the synthesis of fluorine-substituted target compounds is not always trivial. Virtually any fluorine atom attached to an organic backbone has ultimately to be imported from inorganic sources. Crucial for the entire synthetic planning in medicinal and agricultural research is the decision on at what stage and how the halogen will be introduced. Standard technical processes, in particular the displacement of chlorine using anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or potassium fluoride, can hardly be implemented rationally on the laboratory scale. Universal methods that are applicable by both industrial and academic researchers thus have great appeal. If a trifluoromethyl-substituted arene or heterocycle is the target compound, two splendid options exist. The CF(3) group can be delivered packagewise by coupling an appropriate substrate with in situ generated (trifluoromethyl)copper. Alternatively, one may start from a CF(3)-substituted arene or heterocycle as a core and complete it with the missing parts of the ultimate structure.