Chemical reagents are the building blocks of synthetic chemistry, enabling the construction, modification, and analysis of complex molecules. While fluorinating reagents play a key role in introducing fluorine into compounds, a vast array of other reagents are just as vital for carrying out specific transformations, protecting functional groups, driving selectivity, or facilitating analytical detection.
This article provides an overview of important reagent categories, their functions, representative examples, and key applications across chemistry disciplines.
1. Oxidizing Reagents
Oxidizing agents facilitate the loss of electrons or increase in oxidation state of a substrate. They're crucial for transformations like converting alcohols to aldehydes/ketones, or alkenes to epoxides.
vast array of other reagents are just as vital for carrying out specific transformations, protecting functional groups, driving selectivity, or facilitating analytical detection.
Reducing agents donate electrons, facilitating reduction reactions such as converting ketones to alcohols or nitro compounds to amines.