Patent ID: 6437159
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
A process comprising (A) acidifying an aqueous solution comprising an alkali metal salt of a fluorinated alkanoic acid with an acid to produce an acidified solution, (B) heating said acidified solution to produce an organic layer, which comprises said fluorinated alkanoic acid, and an aqueous layer, (C) separating and recovering said organic layer from the aqueous layer, (D) washing said organic layer with an acid solution, (E) isolating said fluorinated alkanoic acid, and (F) optionally converting said fluorinated alkanoic acid to ammonium or alkali metal salt wherein said acid used in step (A) contains less than about 50 volume % water; said acid solution used in step (D) contains less than about 10 volume % acid; and the pH of said acidified solution is about 2 or less.