Fowler trial

Cobalt fluoride reactor at F2 Chemicals

The Fowler process is a process for the production of fluorocarbons , especially Fluorinerts , using cobalt (III) fluoride in the gas phase .

Fluorine gas is extremely reactive. Exposing a hydrocarbon to pure fluorine gas would ignite. However, fluorocarbons can be obtained with the milder fluorinating reagent cobalt trifluoride.

Fowler trial

The hydrocarbon is conducted at temperatures of at least 300 ° C in a stream of dry nitrogen gas over a fluidized bed of cobalt (III) fluoride, which is reduced to cobalt (II) fluoride :

${\displaystyle \mathrm {CH_{4}+2\ CoF_{3}\ {\xrightarrow {\Delta T}}\ CH_{3}F+2\ CoF_{2}+HF} }$

Extraction of perfluorohexane :

${\displaystyle \mathrm {2\ CoF_{2}+F_{2}\ \rightarrow \ 2\ CoF_{3}} }$

${\displaystyle \mathrm {C_{6}H_{14}+28\ CoF_{3}\ \rightarrow \ C_{6}F_{14}+28\ CoF_{2}+14\ HF} }$

Individual evidence

1. Jump up ↑ R. Fowler, W. Buford III, J. Hamilton, Jr., R. Sweet, C. Weber, J. Kasper, I. Litant: Synthesis of Fluorocarbons . In: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry . tape 39 , no. 3 , March 1947, p. 292-298 , doi : 10.1021 / ie50447a612 .
2. ^ R. Benner, A. Benning, F. Downing, C. Irwin, K. Johnson, A. Linch, H. Parmelee, W. Wirth: Fluorocarbons by Fluorination of Hydrocarbons with Cobalt Trifluoride . In: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry . tape 39 , no. 3 , March 1947, p. 329-333 , doi : 10.1021 / ie50447a619 .
3. ^ Graham Sandford: Perfluoroalkanes . In: Tetrahedron . tape 59 , no. 4 , January 2003, p. 437-454 , doi : 10.1016 / S0040-4020 (02) 01568-5 .
4. ↑ Entry on cobalt fluoride. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on February 10, 2015.