Development of the "PERFECT" direct fluorination method and its industrial applications

The "PERFECT" direct fluorination method for the preparation of perfluorinated compounds, which has been developed and is beeing used for manufacturing in Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., and the comparison with other liquid-phase direct fluorination methods are reviewed. A key step in the synthetic route is a liquid-phase direct fluorination reaction with elemental fluorine. Direct fluorination of a partially-fluorinated ester, which was prepared from a hydrocarbon alcohol and a perfluoroacyl fluoride, followed by thermolysis, gave a corresponding perfluorinated product and the starting perfluoroacyl fluoride recovered. The perfluorinated product is a precursor of various perfluorinated building blocks. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.