Patent ID: 6963013

Claim:
A process for making fluorovinyl ether of formula CFX═CXOCF 2 OR (I) wherein: 1) R is a C 2 -C 6 linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group, a C 5 -C 6 cyclic perfluoroalkyl group, or a linear or branched perfluorooxyalkyl group comprising 2 or 6 carbon atoms and 1 to 3 oxygen atoms; 2) up to two fluorine atoms of the perfluoroalkyl group or the perfluorooxyalkyl group can be independently replaced with an atom selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, Br, and I; and 3) X is F or H; comprising the steps of a) contacting hypofluorite, CF 2 (OF) 2 , with a first olefin of structure R 1 R 2 C═CR 3 R 4 , wherein R 1 and R 4 are the same or different and selected from H and F, and R 2 and R 3 are the same or different and selected from H and Cl, to form a first intermediate hypofluorite of structure F—CR 1 R 2 —CR 3 R 4 —O—CF 2 OF (VI) and b) contacting the first intermediate hypofluorite (VI) with a second olefin having structure R 5 R 6 C 2 ═C 1 R 7 R 8 to form a second intermediate hypofluorite F—CR 1 R 2 —CR 3 R 4 —OCF 2 O—C 2 R 5 R 6 —C 1 R 7 R 8 —F (VII) wherein R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are F; or one of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is a C 1 -C 4 linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group and the others R 5 , R 6 , and R 7 , and R 8 are F; or one of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is a C 1 -C 4 linear or branched perfluorooxyalkyl group containing from one to three oxygen atoms and the others of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are F; or either pairing R 5 and R 7 or R 6 and R 8 , together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached, are linked to form a perfluorinated C 5 -C 6 cycloalkyl group and the others of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 not so linked are F; and c) when R 2 and R 3 are both Cl, subjecting the second intermediate (VII) to a dehalogenation reaction, or, when one of R 2 and R 3 is H, subjecting the second intermediate (VII) to a dehydrohalogenation reaction; with the proviso that when one of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 or R 8 is a C 2 -C 4 linear or branched fluoroalky group or a C 2 -C 4 linear or branched fluoroalkoxy group comprising from one to three oxygen atoms; then one or two of the remaining three of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are F and the remaining one or two of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 are selected from H, Cl, Br, and I, with the proviso that, where only one of said remaining three of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is F, then the remaining two of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 are the same and linked to the same carbon atom; and further with the proviso that when R 5 and R 7 together with the carbon to which they are attached, or R 6 and R 8 together with the carbon atom to which they are attached, are linked to form a cyclic then one of the remaining two of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 is F and the other is selected from H, Cl, Br, and I.