Fluorine Chemistry in France

Fluorine is an omnipresent chemical element in our everydaylife. The last two decades have witnessed a spectacular growth ofinterest in selectively fluorinated molecular compounds. Nowadays,several hundreds of thousands molecules contain at least onefluorine atom. These molecules found essential applications in lifesciences, medicine, pharmacology, medical imaging, agriculturalchemistry, materials, etc. The manifold facets of fluorinatedbiomaterials and drugs are illustrated by examples ranging frominorganic ceramics to perfluorinated organic molecules. Theapplications include neuroleptics, anti-cancer, antibiotics, PETimaging for an early detection of tumors, etc. In the cornerstonefield of energy storage and conversion, fluorine constitutes a keyelementbecause most devices devoted to the storage of the energy(lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells) use fluoride materials aselectrodes, electrolytes containing a fluoride salt, fluoromembranes,etc. Another illustration is the impact of this element in thenuclear cycle via the synthesis of uranium hexafluoride which is anunavoidable step toward uranium enrichment. Through theseexamples, it is clear that whatever its state, fluorine has asignificant societal impact