Patent ID: 7141704

Claim:
Process for obtaining hydrofluoroethers of formula (I): A-(R f ) n0 —CF(R f1 )—O—R h (I) wherein: n0 is zero or 1; R f is a bivalent radical: C 1 –C 20 , linear or branched (per)fluoroalkylene, optionally containing one or more oxygen atoms; —CFW′O—(R f2 )—CFW—, wherein W and W′, equal or different, are F, CF 3 ; R f2 is a (per)fluoropolyoxyalkylene containing one or more of the following units, statistically distributed along the chain, (C 3 F 6 O); (CFWO) wherein W is as above; (C 2 F 4 O), (CF 2 (CF 2 ) z CF 2 ) wherein z is an integer equal to 1 or 2; (CH 2 CF 2 CF 2 ); R f1 is F or a C 1 –C 10 linear or branched (per)fluoroalkyl or (per)fluorooxyalkyl radical; R h is a C 1 –C 20 , linear, branched when possible, saturated or unsaturated when possible alkyl, or C 7 –C 20 alkylaryl, optionally containing heteroatoms selected from F, O, N, S, P, Cl; and/or functional groups preferably selected from —SO 2 F, —CH═CH 2 , —CH 2 CH═CH 2 and NO 2 ; A=F, (R h2 O)—CF(R f4 )—, —C(O)F, wherein R h2 , equal to or different from R h , has the R h meanings; R f4 , equal to or different from R f1 , has the R f1 meanings; wherein a mono- or bifunctional carbonyl compound of formula: B—R f —C(O)R f1 (IV) wherein B is F or —C(O)R f4 , R f , R f1 , and R f4 being as above, is reacted with at least one equivalent of a fluoroformate of formula: R—OC(O)F (III) wherein R═R h or R h2 as above; in the presence of an ion fluoride compound (catalyst) and of a dipolar aprotic organic compound, liquid and inert under the reaction conditions.