Yield improvement in the electrochemical production of pefluorooctanoic acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-1139(93)02971-G

The possibility of obtaining real yield improvements in the industrial electrochemical production of perfluorooctanoic acid is discussed on the basis of recent experimental data obtained using perfluorohexyl acetyl chloride in place of octanoyl chloride as a starting material.In particular, the effect of the non-formation of cyclic byproducts on the yield of perfluoro-octanoic acid has been examined, as well as considering previous results obtained starting from a different partially fluorinated precursor, 4-perfluorobutyl butanoyl chloride.The yield of perfluoro-octanoic acid from perfluorohexyl acetyl chloride was less than expected, because of an accompanying increase in perfluoro-n-heptane formation.