Fluorine: The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected

Date: Thursday 15 April 2021
Time: 19:00
Venue
online

The 40 Years Series, with Professor Véronique Gouverneur FRS, Fellow and Tutor in Organic Chemistry.

A world leading expert in fluorination chemistry, Professor Gouverneur has received numerous grants and awards for her work in this field, including a European Research Council Advanced Grant, which is only awarded to ‘exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions’, and the RSC Tilden Prize for her interdisciplinary work in organofluorine chemistry and radiochemistry, and for the impact of her discoveries in medicine.

"With a growing human population and Earth’s limited natural resources, chemists are directing their efforts towards circular processes that make use of benign chemical reagents, renewable feedstocks, catalysis using abundant metals, enzymes, photons or electrons, with waste being minimised and recycled. These important standards apply to the production of fluorine-containing chemicals that are used daily as high-performance materials, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Solutions will emerge if one applies an integrated strategy based on innovation and huge scientific efforts.

"When I entered the field of fluorine chemistry aiming for applications in medicine, I would never have imagined that this remarkable element of the periodic table would take me through a journey filled with excitement, opportunities and surprises. This lecture will highlight how we have entered and contributed to this field, and the challenges ahead of us."

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session, moderated by the Warden, Professor Irene Tracey. Please note, at the request of Professor Gouverneur this lecture was not recorded.