Research Projects

Fluorine's unique properties make fluorinated organic compounds valuable in various industries, including agrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics. However, there is a need for sustainable approaches in the fluorochemicals industry, such as recycling, repurposing, and reuse of refrigerants like HFCs and HFOs. New reactions to selectively convert Csp3-F bonds of tri-fluoromethane or 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane into Csp3-Si bonds could be of significant value to the synthetic community due to the abundance of fluorinated gases. Low-valent silicon compounds can be used for activating industrially relevant fluoroalkenes and fluoroalkanes, while a functionalized silylene with a CF3 unit can be used as a CF3 transfer agent to alkenes and alkynes. Tetrafluoroethylene is an unknown but potentially revolutionary precursor for the polymer industry, and 1,2,2 trifluorovinylsilane can be used as a novel polymerization building block.