Fluorine Chemistry: An Outlook to the Future

Véronique Gouverneur Fluorine chemistry has had a long history with key milestones since the 16th century including the first use of fluorite in smelting, the synthesis of hydrogen fluoride first reported by Carl W. Scheele in 1771, and the production of elemental fluorine by Henri Moissan in 1886. Moissan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twenty years later for this achievement. Considering the unique characteristics of fluorine atom and the hazardous nature of both HF and F2, chemists had to overcome considerable barriers to invent fluorinating reagents and processes for the synthesis of fluorochemicals. Intellectually, this is a fascinating field for research, and many groups in academia and industry have contributed great science over the past decades. Fluorochemicals are produced in large quantities because they play a key role in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials including components of electric cars and electronics. Today, there are several challenges facing the (fluoro)chemical industry. These include the management of raw materials, transportation, complex supply chains and climate change pressure with a need for urgent decarbonisation and defossilization. These challenges represent new opportunities to develop processes that construct complex functional fluorochemicals “with less”. Regulations are also changing rapidly, not least in the light of the persistent nature of PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), a situation that has revived the field of carbon-fluorine bond deconstruction. Inventive solutions are appearing fast both for PFAS recovery from waste stream and PFAS destruction. As the world and the fluorochemical industry continue to change, we need to be able to adapt quickly. We all strive for a future circular fluorochemical industry which is cost effective, avoids the production and handling of dangerous chemicals, and minimises or eradicates waste. We need young scientists with brilliant minds to invent new solutions, and in the process, bring new knowledge on the reactivity of the most electronegative element of the periodic table. After all, the science hero Karl Barry Sharpless, reminded us in the foreword he wrote for the book titled “Efficient Preparations of Fluorine Compounds” edited by Herbert W. Roesky (Wiley 2013), that “A stand-in (e. g., C−Cl) for a C−F group might suffice in some applications but, wishful thinking aside, an honest surrogate for a C−F unit does not exist – nothing even comes close.” Finally, and so importantly, I am very grateful to the authors for their contributions, and I hope that this Special Issue will inspire young generations of chemists to do research for the best of fluorine chemistry to serve humanity and preserve our beautiful “blue marble”, our home.