Perfluorinated solvents boiling point

Perfluorinated alkanes and cycloalkanes are prepared from the corresponding hydrocarbons, either by electrochemical fluorination or by cobalt trifluoride fluo-rination [3], Many perfluorinated solvents are available commercially covering a wide selection of boiling points and densities. Some examples of perfluorinated solvents are listed in Table 3.1 together with their key physical properties. 

The solubility of Teflon AF in perfluorinated compounds was presented by Buck and Resnick.Table 6.4 lists several perfluorinated solvents in order of boiling point. The solubility parameters were calculated from the Small group contribution tables using a value of 100 for the group contribution of a CF group. 

Although the concentration of fluorine is the most important quantity in the control of the reaction rate and must be maintained within certain limits, in practice the stoichiometry, the molecular fluorine to substrate H-atom molar ratio, is used to determine the reaction parameters leading to a successful and efficient perfluorination. AF is most successful when sublimable solids are introduced into the hydrocarbon evaporator unit of the aerosol fluorinator as solutions by a syringe pump. This now common procedure emphasizes the individual molecule s isolation as it is fluorinated using AF. No intermolecular reactions between solute and solvent have been observed Choice of the solvent is important as it must not boil at a temperature below the melting point of the solute in order to prevent solid deposition in the tubes feeding the evaporator. It must also fluorinate to a material easily separable from the solid reactant after perfluorination. In most cases it has been found that aliphatic hydrochlorocarbons are excellent choices, but that carbon tetrachloride and chloroform and other radical-scavenging solvents are not (sec ref 6). 

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