Iodinated organic molecules are extremely important intermediates in organic synthesis, as they are used for the introduction of C-C, C-N and C-O bonds into the system. In addition to being essential in chemistry, they are gaining ground in medicine and pharmacy. In nuclear medicine, the iodine isotopes 123I and 124I are introduced into various molecules, which act as diagnostic markers. In order to improve the efficiency of iodination methods, it was necessary to study the biological pathways of halogen introduction into molecules, which enabled the development of various approaches to obtain the desired iodinated aromatics as selectively and efficiently as possible in an environmentally friendly way. The most logical choice from the point of green chemistry is oxidative iodination, which allows a better economy of iodine atoms, because when molecular iodine is used in the presence of an oxidant, the by-product HI is converted back to molecular iodine. The choice of oxidant, following examples from nature, leads to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, because their use does not produce any harmful by-products, only water. In my undergraduate thesis, I described the available methods for introducing several iodine atoms into an aromatic ring. I found the list of possibilities to be big, but on closer study I came up with those methods that offer good yields, are selective and are less harmful to the environment. The most basic method is oxidative iodination in the presence of acid as a catalyst, which is proving to be a successful method. However, a step forward towards green chemistry is offered by oxidative iodination in water or under solvent-free conditions, as organic solvents are probably one of the most problematic components of processes due to their high usage and toxicity. The iodination system using air as an oxidant also allows the introduction of iodine atoms into the molecules. Because of the variety of approaches to carry out reactions, it is also possible to use alternative methods, such as electrochemical iodination, iodination by ultrasound cavitation and method by grinding.
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