fluorine chemistry

Fluorine plays an outstanding role, unlike any other element, in many areas of chemistry, the life sciences, technology, industry and modern life. Fluorine reacts with almost every element and, in principle, fluorine atoms can be incorporated into any organic molecule, meaning that fluorine can form more compounds than any other element. Replacing H or OH with F in organic molecules changes the bond energies and bond polarisations and consequently also the properties significantly. Synthetic organofluorine compounds are therefore becoming increasingly important in pharmaceutical active ingredients, crop protection products, lubricants and corrosion inhibitors, dyes, liquid crystals, surfactants, ionic liquids, blood substitutes, etc. The most thermally and chemically resistant polymers are fluoropolymers and their derivatives. Ionomers such as Nafion are of great importance in fuel cells and electrolytes. Low-molecular-weight CHF compounds are also produced on a million-tonne scale as substitutes for CFCs and used as refrigerants, propellants, fire-protection agents and solvents. Modern high-voltage and energy technology would be inconceivable without SF₆ as an insulating gas; the manufacture of semiconductor chips also cannot be achieved without highly pure hydrofluoric acid and fluorine-containing plasma etching gases. Electrochemical energy storage systems contain graphite fluoride and electrolytes with fluorinated anions as important components.

Short link to this page: www.gdch.de/fluorchemie

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As the examples above show, fluorine chemistry is an interdisciplinary science with links to existing GDCh Divisions. There are, for example, areas of overlap with electrochemistry (electrofluorination, electrochemical energy storage), magnetic resonance (¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy), solid-state chemistry and materials research (complex fluorides, fluoride glasses) and medicinal chemistry (fluorinated active substances, ¹⁸F positron emission tomography), to name but a few.

For this reason, in 2008 the GDCh Board approved the formation of a Working Group Fluorochemistry under the umbrella of the GDCh. Details are contained in the bylaws.