Mme Clémence Bonnefoy

About Clémence

Clémence obtained her undergraduate degree from the university of Lyon (CPE Lyon & UCBL). During her degree, she spent one year in Germany working at Boehringer Ingelheim. Then in 2021, she joined the SURCOOF team to complete her MSc’s degree with a thesis under the supervision of Dr. Thierry Billard and Dr. Fabien Toulgoat (ICBMS Lyon). Currently she is doing her PhD in the SURCOOF team working on new synthetic routes for trifluoromethoxylation and the access to new fluorinated compounds. During her research she developed a new reactant able to release the trifluoromethoxide anion as a stable solution. Over the course of her thesis, Clémence had the opportunity to participate in different (international) conferences and to present the progress of her research.

Outside of the lab, Clémence enjoys doing sports and traveling the world.

Research interests

Over the last years, fluorine chemistry became an indispensable tool in medicinal chemistry. The trifluoromethoxy moiety has stirred up interest due to its special electronical and physico-chemical properties. Indeed, its incorporation into a molecule contributes to an increase in lipophilicity and metabolic stability

Clémence’s contributions to this vibrant field revolve around the development of a novel reactant able to release the trifluoromethoxide anion as a stable solution, which can be used to perform trifluoromethoxylation. The degradation of the anion has also been used to obtain new fluorinated compound such as carbamoyl fluoride. Beyond methodological development, Clémence’s research is focussed on studying the properties of these new fluorinated compounds through stability, lipophilicity studies and radiolabelling.

Selected publications

Study of a Stable “Trifluoromethoxide Anion Solution” Arising from 2,4-Dinitro-Trifluoromethoxybenzene; C. Bonnefoy, E. Chefdeville, A. Panosian, G. Hanquet, F. R. Leroux, F. Toulgoat, T. Billard, Chem. Eur. J. 2021, 27, 15986-15991.

Study of Carbamoyl Fluoride: Synthesis, Properties and Applications; C. Bonnefoy, E. Chefdeville, C. Tourvieille, A. Panossian, G. Hanquet, F. Leroux, F. Toulgoat, T. Billard, Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e202201589.