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Our Journey Toward Making Unpredictable Fluorine Chemistry Predictable
| Date | 11 Aug 2026 |
| Time | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (HKT) |
| Venue | Lecture Theatre P2, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building |
| Speaker | Prof. Xiaosong Xue |
| Institution | Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences |
Title:
Our Journey Toward Making Unpredictable Fluorine Chemistry Predictable
Schedule:
Date: 11th August, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 5 - 6 pm (HKT)
Venue: Lecture Theatre P2, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building
Speaker:
Prof. Xiaosong Xue
Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Biography:
Xiaosong Xue is a Principal Investigator, Professor at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Nankai University in 2013 under the supervision of Professor Jin-Pei Cheng, where he was recognized as an Outstanding Graduate and subsequently joined the faculty. From 2017 to 2020, he worked as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles with Professor K. N. Houk. In 2021, he joined the State Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials at SIOC, where his research focuses on physical organic chemistry in fluorine chemistry, as well as the development of chemical databases for organic chemistry. He has published more than 40 papers as co-corresponding author in leading international journals, including Science, Nature, Nat. Chem., Nat. Synth., J. Am. Chem. Soc., and Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. In 2025, he received the Chinese Chemical Society Physical Organic Chemistry Young Investigator Award.
Abstract:
Often described as “a small atom with a big ego,” fluorine plays an increasingly important role in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials science owing to its unique electronic and physicochemical properties. Yet, as Manfred Schlosser famously remarked, “Fluorine leaves nobody indifferent; it inflames emotions, be that affections or aversions. As a substituent it is rarely boring, always good for a surprise, but often completely unpredictable.” This unpredictability arises from the distinctive electronic, stereoelectronic, and reactivity features of fluorinated molecules, which frequently cause conventional principles established for organic chemistry to break down in fluorinated systems. In this lecture, I will present our recent efforts to apply the concepts and methodologies of Physical Organic Chemistry to organofluorine chemistry toward making unpredictable fluorine chemistry more predictable. Particular emphasis will be placed on uncovering the mechanistic origins of fluorine effects, establishing quantitative reactivity principles, and developing predictive frameworks for fluorinated reactions and reagents.1,2 These studies aim to transform fluorine chemistry from an experience-driven discipline into a predictive science guided by mechanism, reactivity theory, and rational design.
References:
2. H. Tan, B. Gao, H. Huang, T.Xu, Y. Li, J.Dong, X.-S. Xue* J. Am. Chem. Soc.2026, 148, 24138. b) L. Yu, T. Li, Q. Shao, J. Wu. X.-S. Xue* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026 148, 12387; c) T. Wang, X.-S. Xue* J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026 148, 8723.; d) X. Guo, Y. Zhang, X. Lai, Y. Pang, X.-S. Xue*. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, e202415715.; e) M.-M. Zheng, L. Cai, T. Ma, H.-D. Tan, X. Lai, J. Dong*, X.-S. Xue*. Nature Synthesis., 2024, 3,1507.; f) H. Zheng; C. Liu; M. Pan, M. Uyanik, K. Ishihara, X. S. Xue*; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 7301.; g) Y. Luo, Y. Li, J. Wu, X.-S. Xue*, J. F. Hartwig*, Q. Shen* Science, 2023, 381, 1072.h) H. Zheng; Z. Li; J. Jing, X.-S. Xue*; J.-P. Cheng. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 9401.; i) M. Li; X.-S. Xue*, J. -P. Cheng, Acc. Chem. Res. 2020, 53, 182.
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