Palladium-Catalyzed Aryl Fluorination

Abstract

Fluorinated compounds have an extensive role in modern chemical applications. An estimated 20% of all pharmaceuticals and 30% of synthetic agrochemicals contain at least one fluorine atom. Furthermore, radioactive 18F-labeled molecules are increasingly utilized for diagnostic purposes as contrast agents in PET scans. Despite the wide use of fluorinated compounds, few synthetic approaches are known that can incorporate fluorine atoms into aromatic rings, especially when other functional groups are present. This is a limiting factor to the development of novel PET tracers that could theoretically enhance the detection of physiological disorders, and of other industry-relevant compounds. Many current fluorination techniques require harsh reaction conditions, long reaction times, or stoichiometric amounts of rare reactants. These syntheses are generally expensive and harmful to the environment.