ABSTRACT
The driving force behind organofluorine chemistry is that carbonfluorine bonds impart unique characteristics to the molecules they form. Although not common in nature, organofluorines are encountered on a daily basis in items spanning from refrigerants and household cooking pans, through weatherproof clothing and film-forming foams, to aeronautic-compatible lubricants and medicinal products. Organofluorine chemistry has helped shape some of the remarkable achievements of the 20th century. Amidst the developments in the medical field are applications of organofluorine compounds as oxygen-carrying blood reconstitution products, blockbuster drugs, revolutionary anesthetics, as well as imaging agents. In this chapter, we describe the advantages of fluorination for the improving pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of medicinal products. Furthermore, the
opportunities arising when introducing fluorine (19F) atoms to lead medicinal compounds with regard to their quantification in vivo (bioavailability) will be discussed and non-invasive 19F/1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and imaging (MRI) techniques for monitoring the fate of 19F-containing drugs will be described.
