Production of hydrofluoroalkanes
View Patent ↗A process for the production of a hydrofluoroalkane, which process comprises contacting a hydrochlorofluoroethane of formula CClXYCFHZ, wherein X and Y are each independently chlorine or fluorine and Z is chlorine, fluorine or hydrogen, in the liquid phase with hydrogen fluoride and a fluorination catalyst and recovering a hydrofluoroalkane from the resulting products.
1. A process for the production of a hydrofluoroalkane, which process comprises contacting a hydrochlorofluoroethane of formula CClXYCFHZ, wherein X and Y are each independently chlorine or fluorine and Z is chlorine, fluorine or hydrogen, in the liquid phase with hydrogen fluoride and a fluorination catalyst and recovering a hydrofluoroalkane from the resulting products.
2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is selected from SbCl 5-x F x , (WCl 5-x F x ) 2 , TaCl 5-x F x , MoCl 5-x F x and NbCl 5-x F x wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5, TiCl 4-x F x and SnCl 4-x F x , wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 4 and mixtures thereof.
3. A process according to claim 2 , wherein the catalyst comprises at least one compound of the formula TaCl 5-x F x wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5.
4. A process according to claim 3 , wherein the catalyst is tantalum pentafluoride.
5. A process according to claim 3 , wherein the catalyst comprises at least one compound of the formula TaCl 5-x F x wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 4.
6. A process according to claim 2 , wherein the catalyst comprises at least one compound of the formula SbCl 5-x F x wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5.
7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrofluoroalkane is 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.
8. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrochlorofluoroethane is 1,1-dichloro-1,2-difluoroethane or 1-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethane.
9. A process according to claim 8 , wherein the 1,1-dichloro-1,2-difluoroethane has been obtained by the reaction of vinylidene dichloride with elemental fluorine.
10. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrofluoroalkane is pentafluoroethane.
11. A process according to claim 10 , wherein the hydrochlorofluoroethane is 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2-difluoroethane or 1,1-dichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane.
12. A process according to claim 1 , which is carried out batch-wise.
13. A process according to claim 1 which is carried out continuously.