FEAST FOR FLUORINE AFICIONADOS

FLUORINE HAS BEEN CALLED "A small atom with a big ego." It's small enough to fool enzymes into mistaking it for a Milquetoast hydrogen atom, but it is unsurpassed in attracting electrons. And though it is the 13th most abundant element on Earth, fluorine is the only one that is enshrined in the name of an American Chemical Society division—a factor that may well have helped inflate its ego. Every two years, the Division of Fluorine Chemistry brings together chemists who are fascinated with fluorine for a weeklong fluorine fest known as the Winter Fluorine Conference. This year's installment—the 16th in the series—attracted more than 200 attendees from around the world to St. Pete Beach, Fla., in mid-January. Although traditional topics such as fluorination methods and fluoroorganic synthesis are the bread and butter of the conference, the organizers decided to spotlight areas such as enzymes and microlithography, in which fluorine of late has popped up in a starring role. Enzymatic fluorination garnered w...