Chemists at the University of Amsterdam have developed a method to furnish a range of molecules with a trifluoromethyl group attached to a sulfur, nitrogen or oxygen atom. Their procedure, which is published in Science, avoids the use of PFAS reagents. It thus provides an environmentally friendly synthesis route for pharmaceutical and agrochemical compounds that rely on the presence of the trifluoromethyl group.
Chemists at the University of Amsterdam have developed a method to furnish a range of molecules with a trifluoromethyl group attached to a sulfur, nitrogen or oxygen atom. Their procedure, which is published in Science, avoids the use of PFAS reagents. It thus provides an environmentally friendly synthesis route for pharmaceutical and agrochemical compounds that rely on the presence of the trifluoromethyl group.
The straightforward and effective method was developed in the Flow Chemistry group at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences led by Prof. Timothy Noël, in cooperation with researchers in Italy, Spain and the UK, both from academia and industry. Applying the principles of flow chemistry, where reactions take place in closed systems of small tubes, makes for safe and controlled chemistry. It also offers greater versatility and flexibility over more common procedures using traditional chemical glassware.
Many pharmaceutical compounds (such as anti-depressants) as well as agrochemical compounds (such as pesticides) benefit from the presence of a trifluoromethyl (-CF3) group.
