Indian researchers have developed a sunlight-driven method to break carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds, one of the strongest types of chemical bonds, with potential to transform pharmaceutical synthesis.
The method uses a covalent organic framework (COF), a crystalline porous material that acts as a heterogeneous photocatalyst operating under mild conditions with natural sunlight. This approach avoids harsh chemicals, expensive metal catalysts, and energy-intensive processes, making it more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
The team at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, under the Department of Science and Technology, modified a bipyridine-based COF through post-synthetic methylation to create a positively charged Tp-Bpy-Me COFwith enhanced visible-light absorption.
Laboratory tests showed that the COF could activate C–F bonds under blue light or sunlight and facilitate the formation of carbon–nitrogen (C–N) bonds by reacting with amine nucleophiles.
The COF-based photocatalyst demonstrates potential applications in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries, as well as in the synthesis of complex organic molecules and natural product building blocks used in drug development.
