Current Trends in the Design of Fluorine‐Containing Agrochemicals

In the search for modern agrochemicals in terms of efficacy, environmental safety, user friendliness, and economic viability, the substitution of molecules with fluorine and fluorinated motifs is an important tool. Besides the impact on biological activity in combination with further structural fragments, depending on the mode of action, the introduction of fluorine atoms or fluorine-containing substituents into an active ingredient can influence some specific properties such as degradation in soil, metabolism in plants and target pests, and a favorable compatibility profile to non-target arthropods or beneficial insects. In the past decade, there has been a remarkable rise in the number of commercial products containing fluorine atoms and/or fluorine-containing substituents. At present, these include trifluoro- and difluoromethyl, or trifluoro- and difluoromethoxy groups at aryl or heterocyclic aryl moieties and fragments such as 2,2-difluoroethyl, difluoromethylsulfonyl, heptafluoro-iso-propyl, or 1-methoxy-hexafluoro-iso-propyl. This review gives an overview of the latest generation of fluorine-containing agrochemicals launched over the past 10 years and describes current trends in the design of fluorinated development candidates.