Process for preparing perfluoroalkyl iodides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING PERFLUOROALKYL IODIDES CONTAINING FROM SIX TO TWELVE CARBON ATOMS WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES REACTING TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE WITH A PERFLUOROALKYL IODIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PERFLUOROETHYL IODIDE AND MIXTURES OF PERFLUOROETHYL IODIDE AND N-PERFLUOROBUTYL IODIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ORGANIC FREE RADICAL GENERATING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 80*C. TO 170*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE FROM ABOUT 22K P.S.I. TO ABOUT 700 P.S.I., SAID TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE AND A PORTION OF THE FREE RADICALA GENERATING CATALYST BEIENG INJECTED GRADUALLY DURING THE REACTION TO SAID PERFLUOROALKYL IODIDE CONTAINING A PORTION OF SAID FREE RADICAL GENERATING CATALYST UNTIL FROM ABOUT 0.25 TO ABOUT 1.2 MOLES OF TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE PER MOLE OF PERFLUOROALKYL IODIDE AND FROM ABOUT 0.25% TO 0.9% BY WEIGHT OF FREE RADICAL GENERATING CATALYST PER TOTAL WIEGHT OF REACTION MIXTURE HAVE BEEN ADDED, AND RECOVERING FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE PRODUCTS HAVING THE STRUCTURE (F(CF2)MI, WHEREIN M IS FROM SIX TO TWELVE.