New Approaches to Site-Selective Fluorination

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract In this project funded by the Chemical Synthesis program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Thomas Lectka of Johns Hopkins University is developing new chemical methods focused on site-selective fluorination to produce chemically interesting products not easily accessible by other means. At Johns Hopkins, Professor Lectka, supervises a research group that contains predominately undergraduates. In addition, graduate students are participants in the K-12 educational outreach program and also the Chemistry Olympiad; in a separate program offered by Hopkins called LEAD, two grad students spend time mentoring inner-city Baltimore middle school students twice a week in science and math. In summary, the P.I. plans to continue a track record of educating underrepresented minority groups (especially African-American and Hispanic undergraduates) for the foreseeable future. Operational simplicity, low catalyst loadings (where applicable), mutual compatibility, mild conditions, and broad scope are the fundamental goals. The recent, widespread interest in fluorine chemistry stems primarily from the utility of fluorinated compounds as pharmaceuticals. Nearly one quarter of the top pharmaceuticals on the market contain fluorine, placing synthetic fluorination methods, particularly those amenable to late-stage functionalization, among the most valuable warheads in the arsenal of the medicinal chemist.