Purification of saturated halocarbons

1. A process for removing one or more unsaturated halocarbons from a halocarhon mixture comprising one or more unsaturated halocarbons and one or more saturated halocarbons, which process comprises contacting the halocarbon mixture with a mixture of a solid chemical oxidant and a basic solid support in the presence of water.

2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one saturated halocarbon is a saturated hydrofluorocarbon, a saturated hydrochlorofluorocarbon, a saturated chlorofluorocarbon, a saturated perchlorocarbon or a saturated perfluorocarbon.

3. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one saturated halocarbon is a saturated hydrofluorocarbon or a saturated hydrochlorofluorocarbon.

4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one saturated halocarbon has a carbon chain length of from one to four.

5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one unsaturated halocarbon is an unsaturated hydrofluorocarbon, an unsaturated hydrochlorocarbon or an unsaturated hydrochlorofluorocarbon.

6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one unsaturated halocarbon has a carbon chain length of two or three.

7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the saturated halocarbons is 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a), pentafluoroethane (R-125), 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (R-143a), difluoromethane (R-32), 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (R-245fa) or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (R-227ea).

8. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the unsaturated halocarbons is 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroprop-2-ene (A1234yf), 1,1,1-trifluoroprop-2-ene (A1243zf), cis and/or trans 1-chloro-1,2-difluoroethene (A1122a), 1-chloro-2-fluoroethene (A1131), 1-chloro-2,2difluoroethene (A1122), 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (A1233zd), 1,2-dichloro-1,2-difluoroethene (A1112), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-difluoroethene (A1112a), chlorotrifluoroethene (A1113), hexafluoropropene (A1216), 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropene (A1225zc) or perfluoro-butene-2 (A1318).

9. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the solid chemical oxidant is an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal permanganate.

10. A process according to claim 9 , wherein the solid chemical oxidant is potassium permanganate.

11. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the solid support is a soda time.

12. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the solid support to the solid chemical oxidant is any ratio up to the saturation limit of the oxidant on the support.

13. A process according to claim 1 , which is carried out in the liquid or the vapour phase.

14. A process according to claim 13 , which is carried out in the liquid phase and the reaction residence time is from 5 to 500 minutes.

15. A process according to claim 13 , which is carried out in the vapour phase and the reaction residence time is from 1 to 500 seconds.

16. A process according to claim 1 , which is conducted at a temperature of from 0 to 100° C.

17. A process according to claim 1 , which is conducted at a subatmospheric, atmospheric or superatmospheric pressure.

18. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the mixture of a solid chemical oxidant and a solid support is provided by mixing the solid chemical oxidant with the solid support.

19. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the mixture of a solid chemical oxidant and a solid support is provided by impregnation of a solution of the chemical oxidant onto the solid support and then heating the resulting mixture to dryness.