Patent ID: 8236997

Claim:
A process for the production of pentafluoroethane which comprises the steps of: (i) in a first reactor or a first plurality of reactors reacting perchloroethylene with hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the vapour phase at a temperature of from about 200 to about 350° C. in the presence of a fluorination catalyst to produce a composition comprising dichlorotrifluoroethane, hydrogen chloride, unreacted hydrogen fluoride and perchloroethylene, less than 2 weight % of chlorotetrafluoroethane and pentafluoroethane combined and less than 5 weight % of compounds having the formula C 2 Cl 6-x F x , where x is an integer of from 0 to 6, based on the total weight of organic compounds in the composition; (ii) subjecting the composition from step (i) to a separation step to yield a purified composition comprising at least 95 weight % of dichlorotrifluoroethane and less than 0.5 weight % of compounds having the formula C 2 Cl 6-x F x , where x is an integer of from 0 to 6, based on the total weight of organic compounds in the composition; and (iii) in a second reactor or a second plurality of reactors reacting the composition from step (ii) with hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the vapour phase at a temperature of at least 280° C. in the presence of a fluorination catalyst to produce a composition comprising pentafluoroethane and less than 0.5 weight % of chloropentafluoroethane, based on the total weight of organic compounds in the composition.