When changing one atom makes molecules better

Chemists in Vienna find a method to replace hydrogen with fluorine in organic molecules. The development and improvement of pharmaceuticals plays the central role in the ongoing battle against human disease. Organic synthesis is the field that enables these developments as it offers the toolbox to diversify chemical structures. The group of Nuno Maulide, recently named the Scientist of the Year 2018 in Austria, in collaboration with the group of Harald Sitte, has now reported a facile method for the replacement of hydrogen with fluorine in important drug molecules. This new discovery enables the fine-tuning of existing (and potential new) pharmaceuticals to endow them with improved pharmacological properties. The results have been recently published in the renowned journal "Nature Chemistry". The vast majority of pharmaceuticals employed in the treatment of human diseases are of an organic nature, meaning that the active component is a molecule (or a combination of several molecules) that is constituted of carbon and hydrogen atoms.