Fluorocarbon iron complex

The uniqueness of this reaction is at least partially attributable to the unusual nature of the tr-bonded fluorocarbon-iron carbonyl complex used as the starting material. Fluorocarbons such as octafluoro-l,3-cyclohexa-diene containing more than one double bond are relatively rare. 

Either fusion with alkali metals or reaction with aUcali-metal complexes with aromatic hydrocarbons will break down most fluorocarbon systems, due to the high electron affinities of these systems. Such reactions form the basis of some methods of elemental analysis [13], the fluorine being estimated as hydrogen fluoride after ion exchange. Surface defluorination of PTFE occurs with alkali metals and using other techniques [14]. Per-fluorocycloalkanes give aromatic compounds by passage over hot iron and this provides a potential route to a variety of perfluoroaromatic systems (Chapter 9, Section IB). 

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