Preparation of selectively fluorinated organic compounds.

摘要

The present invention provides a method of selectively fluorinating a carbon-hydrogen bond at an unactivated saturated sp<3> hybridised carbon atom of an organic compound, the method including reacting the organic compound with elemental fluorine gas, characterised in that the reaction is carried out in the presence of a basic compound. The method enables the selective transformation of carbon-hydrogen bonds to carbon-fluorine bonds in molecules where the hydrogen atom is attached to a fully saturated unactivated sp<3> hybridised carbon atom such as a tertiary carbon atom found in many saturated hydrocarbon compounds and steroid derivatives. Advantageously, the method may be carried out at or just below room temperature.