A new flUorination process - Isis Project No 2625

Marketing Opportunity

Fluorinated compounds have a wide range of applications:

• Pharmaceutical industry – fluorination of biologically active compounds is now common, with 20 - 30 % of all drugs currently on the market being fluorinated. In many drugs the presence of the small but highly electronegative fluorine group is advantageous for increased target site selectivity, inhibition of unproductive metabolic pathways and improved bioavailability.
• Agrochemical industry – fluorinated compounds are used as herbicides and insecticides.
• Electronics Industry - fluoro groups influence molecular conformation in products used in liquid crystal displays and fluorinated fluoro-resists are used in connection with integrated electronic circuits. 

The incorporation of a fluoro substituent α- to a carbonyl group is now well established, but very few synthetic routes have been developed for the preparation of homochiral fluorinated building blocks other than these. 

The challenge to further advancement of this area is highlighted by the increasing demand for innovative methodologies that are able to produce functionalized fluorinated compounds with one or multiple stereocentres.

The Oxford Invention

The Oxford Invention provides a process whereby structurally diverse β,γ-unsaturated alkyl silanes can be fluorinated, to produce homochiral fluorinated compounds that potentially, are useful synthetic building blocks. The invention may also be used to convert these products, not only into more elaborate second generation, difluorinated compounds, but also into compounds with double the number of stereogenic centres.  In addition, by enabling fluoro groups to be introduced into the molecules of biologically active compounds, the invention provides a means of controlling the following properties: lipophilicity, acidity/basicity and oxidative stability.

Patent Status

This work is the subject of patent application, and Isis would like to talk to companies interested in developing the commercial opportunity that this represents. Please contact the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.

Request Further Information: Project Number 2625 - A New Florination Process