Patent ID: 8217208

Claim:
A method of converting (E)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene into (Z)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, comprising: providing a feed stream consisting essentially of (E)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene or a mixture of (E)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene and (Z)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene having less than about 5 wt % (Z)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene; contacting the feed stream with a heated surface that is maintained between 150° C. and 350° C. for a period of time sufficient to convert at least a portion of the (E)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene to (Z)1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene to produce a product stream; and distilling the product stream to separate the (E) and (Z) isomers from one another.