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Research Group on Chemistry of Organofluorinated Compounds - FUSFLU

The main objective of our research is the synthesis of new compounds with potential biological activity. Therefore, our work focuses on the development of new methodologies that lead to these molecules in a simple and selective way. In this context, the preparation of new organofluorine compounds has been one of the hallmarks of the group, since it is well known that the introduction of fluorine atoms in organic molecules often improves their chemical and pharmacological properties. In addition, we are interested in the design and synthesis of new peptidomimetics and other small molecules capable of activating or inhibiting specific therapeutic targets. The main lines are described below: 

  1. Design, synthesis and reactivity of new fluorinated chemical entities containing the alkyne function.
    1. Study of the differential reactivity of fluorinated propargylic amines in gold-catalysed hydroamination and hydroarylation processes. Extension to tandem processes mediated by electrophilic fluorination agents.
    2. Synthesis of fluorinated propargylic acetates and preliminary evaluation of their reactivity towards gold salts (I).
    3. Development of a catalytic process for the synthesis of 1-fluoroalkynes from terminal alkynes.
  2. Diversity-Oriented Synthesis (DOS): application to the asymmetric synthesis of fluorinated and non-fluorinated benzofused compounds as new molecular entities in drug discovery.
    1. Asymmetric synthesis of benzofused compounds by tandem or one-pot processes.
    2. Application of fluorinated 2-iodo(bromo)benzyl 2-iodo(benzyl)amines as building blocks in the synthesis of optically pure fluorinated nitrogen heterocycles.
  3. Development of new enantioselective processes using organocatalysis, metal catalysis or a combination of both.
    1. Extension of the intramolecular aza-Michael intramolecular (AMI) organocatalytic reaction to conjugated esters as acceptors.
    2. Study of the asymmetric AMI reaction applied to desymmetrisation processes of prochiral compounds.
    3. Design of new organocatalytic tandem processes: aza-Henry-AMI and aza-Morita Baylis Hillman-AMI.
    4. Asymmetric synthesis of alcohols and cyclic amines using organocatalyst/transition metal binary systems (relay catalysis).
    5. Study of the catalytic enantioselective intramolecular catalytic allylation reaction.
  4. Target Oriented Synthesis (TOS): design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a new generation of peptidomimetics capable of inhibiting the RRE-Rev interaction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.