CRC 1349 ’Fluorine-Specific Interactions’ Gets the Go-Ahead

German Research Foundation to fund Collaborative Research Center 1349 at Freie Universität Berlin for four more years. Since 2019 Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1349 "Fluorine-Specific Interactions" has been working on understanding and controlling the complex interactions that can emanate from fluorinated units in molecules and materials. The German Research Foundation (DFG) recently decided to continue funding CRC 1349 for another four years from January 1, 2023. Chemistry professors Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel from Freie Universität Berlin and Thomas Braun from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin are spokesperson and deputy spokesperson of CRC 1349, respectively. Subprojects with members from Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) are participating in the research. Fluorinated units in molecules and materials have played a significant role in our everyday lives for quite some time now. Fluorides are added to toothpaste to strengthen our dental enamel, fluorinated liquid crystals are used in modern cell phone and computer displays, and fluorinated compounds are introduced to pharmaceuticals to increase their efficacy and reduce side effects.