Organofluorine chemistry

Organofluorine chemistry describes the chemistry of organofluorine compounds, organic compounds that contain a carbon–fluorine bond. Organofluorine compounds find diverse applications ranging from oil and water repellents to pharmaceuticals, refrigerants, and reagents in catalysis. In fact, "about 40% of new pharmaceuticals ... and 25% of all those on the market... contain fluorine". In addition to these applications, some organofluorine compounds are pollutants because of their contributions to ozone depletion, global warming, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The area of organofluorine chemistry often requires special techniques associated with the handling of fluorinating agents.

The carbon–fluorine bond

Fluorine has several distinctive differences from all other substituents encountered in organic molecules. As a result, the physical and chemical properties of organofluorines can be distinctive in comparison to other organohalogens.

The carbon–fluorine bond is one of the strongest in organic chemistry (an average bond energy around 480 kJ/mol). This is significantly stronger than the bonds of carbon with other halogens (an average bond energy of e.g. C–Cl bond is around 320 kJ/mol) and is one of the reasons why fluoroorganic compounds have high thermal and chemical stability. The carbon–fluorine bond is relatively short (around 1.4 Å). The Van der Waals radius of the fluorine substituent is only 1.47 Å, which is shorter than in any other substituent and is close to that of hydrogen (1.2 Å). This, together with the short bond length, is the reason why there is no steric strain in polyfluorinated compounds. This is another reason for their high thermal stability. In addition, the fluorine substituents in polyfluorinated compounds efficiently shield the carbon skeleton from possible attacking reagents. This is another reason for the high chemical stability of polyfluorinated compounds. Fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all elements: 3.98. This causes the high dipole moment of C–F bond (1.41 D). Fluorine has the lowest polarizability of all atoms: 0.56 × {\displaystyle \times } 10−24 cm3. This causes very weak dispersion forces between polyfluorinated molecules and is the reason for the often-observed boiling point reduction on fluorination as well as for the simultaneous hydrophobicity and lipophobicity of polyfluorinated compounds whereas other perhalogenated compounds are more lipophilic. In comparison to aryl chlorides and bromides, aryl fluorides form Grignard reagents only reluctantly. On the other hand, aryl fluorides, e.g. fluoroanilines and fluorophenols, often undergo nucleophilic substitution efficiently.

Types of organofluorine compounds

Fluorocarbons

Formally, fluorocarbons only contain carbon and fluorine. Sometimes they are called perfluorocarbons. They can be gases, liquids, waxes, or solids, depending upon their molecular weight. The simplest fluorocarbon is the gas tetrafluoromethane (CF4). Liquids include perfluorooctane and perfluorodecalin. While fluorocarbons with single bonds are stable, unsaturated fluorocarbons are more reactive, especially those with triple bonds. Fluorocarbons are more chemically and thermally stable than hydrocarbons, reflecting the relative inertness of the C–F bond. They are also relatively lipophobic. Because of the reduced intermolecular van der Waals interactions, fluorocarbon-based compounds are sometimes used as lubricants or are highly volatile. Fluorocarbon liquids have medical applications as oxygen carriers. The structure of organofluorine compounds can be distinctive. As shown below, perfluorinated aliphatic compounds tend to segregate from hydrocarbons. This "like dissolves like effect" is related to the usefulness of fluorous phases and the use of PFOA in processing of fluoropolymers. In contrast to the aliphatic derivatives, perfluoroaromatic derivatives tend to form mixed phases with nonfluorinated aromatic compounds, resulting from donor-acceptor interactions between the pi-systems.

Fluoropolymers

Polymeric organofluorine compounds are numerous and commercially significant. They range from fully fluorinated species, e.g. PTFE to partially fluorinated, e.g. polyvinylidene fluoride ([CH2CF2]n) and polychlorotrifluoroethylene ([CFClCF2]n). The fluoropolymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE/Teflon) is a solid.

Hydrofluorocarbons

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen atoms, are the most common type of organofluorine compounds. They are commonly used in air conditioning and as refrigerants in place of the older chlorofluorocarbons such as R-12 and hydrochlorofluorocarbons such as R-21. They do not harm the ozone layer as much as the compounds they replace; however, they do contribute to global warming. Their atmospheric concentrations and contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly increasing, causing international concern about their radiative forcing. Fluorocarbons with few C–F bonds behave similarly to the parent hydrocarbons, but their reactivity can be altered significantly. For example, both uracil and 5-fluorouracil are colourless, high-melting crystalline solids, but the latter is a potent anti-cancer drug. The use of the C–F bond in pharmaceuticals is predicated on this altered reactivity. Several drugs and agrochemicals contain only one fluorine center or one trifluoromethyl group. Unlike other greenhouse gases in the Paris Agreement, hydrofluorocarbons have other international negotiations. In September 2016, the so-called New York Declaration urged a global reduction in the use of HFCs. On 15 October 2016, due to these chemicals contribution to climate change, negotiators from 197 nations meeting at the summit of the United Nations Environment Programme in Kigali, Rwanda reached a legally binding accord to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Fluorocarbenes As indicated throughout this article, fluorine-substituents lead to reactivity that differs strongly from classical organic chemistry. The premier example is difluorocarbene, CF2, which is a singlet whereas carbene (CH2) has a triplet ground state. This difference is significant because difluorocarbene is a precursor to tetrafluoroethylene.

Perfluorinated compounds

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