Patent ID: 8628644

Claim:
A process for separating one or more components from a multi-component mixture, wherein the mixture comprises an azeotropic or close-boiling mixture, and wherein the mixture comprises a first hydrofluorocarbon compound and one or more members of the group consisting of: a) a second hydrofluorocarbon compound; and b) a fluorocarbon compound selected from the group consisting of a compound that consists solely of fluorine and carbon atoms (an “FC-fluorocarbon compound”), a fluoroether compound, a fluoroketone compound, a fluoroaromatic compound, and a fluoroolefin compound; wherein the process comprises contacting the mixture with at least one ionic liquid in which one component of the mixture is less soluble than at least one other component of the mixture, and separating the less soluble component from the mixture; wherein the at least one ionic liquid comprises both a fluorinated cation and a fluorinated anion; and wherein the separation process comprises steps from a process selected from the group consisting of distillation, stripping, rectification, extraction, chromatography and evaporation.