CF3: An overlooked chromophore in VCD spectra. A review of recent applications in structural determination
The VCD spectra of several chiral compounds containing the CF3 group are reviewed and analyzed. The list of compounds contains pharmaceutically relevant molecules as well as simple model molecules, having the value of case studies. In particular we point out the importance of the sign of the VCD band relative to some stretching normal mode of CF3 in the region 1110–1150 cm−1, as diagnostic of the configuration of stereogenic carbons C* to which the CF3 group is bound: the correspondence (−) ↔ (R) and (+) ↔ (S) holds for 100% of 1-aryl-2,2,2-trifluoroethanols.