6.06 Synthesis of Fluorides

Abstract

Current applications of fluorinated molecules as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials, and radiotracers for positron emission tomography has renewed an interest in fluorination chemistry. Despite nucleophilic and electrophilic fluorination reactions being first reported in the second half of the nineteenth century, carbon–fluorine bond formation still remains a challenging chemical transformation and lacks generality, practicality, and predictability. Fluorine’s high electronegativity and the high hydration energy of fluoride both contribute to challenges in carbon–fluorine bond formation. This chapter provides a summary of the traditional approaches to carbon–fluorine bond formation and focuses on the recent progress made in the field of fluorination.