Pentafluorosulfanyl Compounds

Compounds containing the pentafluorosulfanyl group (–SF₅) possess high electron-withdrawing property and strong lipophilic character. These compounds have been attracting attention as potent building blocks in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and functional materials. For example, it has been reported that compound a prepared from 3-bromophenylsulfur pentafluoride (1) is a SF5 analog of fenfluramine, which is known as an anorectic agent, significantly enhances the affinity for the 5-HT_2b, 5-HT_2c and 5-HT₆ receptors than fenfluramine.¹⁾

In addition, it also has been reported that the liquid crystal using compound b, which is prepared from 4-bromophenylsulfur pentafluoride (1), has significantly improved dielectric anisotropy (Δε), compared with other fluorinated analogs such as –F and –CF₃.²⁾