Patent ID: 7691282

Claim:
A hydrofluoroether compound consisting of two terminal fluoroalkyl groups and an intervening oxymethylene group, each of said fluoroalkyl groups having only one hydrogen atom and, optionally, at least one catenated heteroatom, and said oxymethylene group being unsubstituted or being substituted by having at least one carbon-bonded hydrogen atom replaced with an alkyl or fluoroalkyl group that optionally contains at least one catenated heteroatom; with the proviso that said hydrogen atom is part of a monofluoromethylene moiety; wherein said compound is one of a class that is represented by the following general formula (I): R f ′—CF(CFH—R f ″)—CR 1 R 2 —O—CF(R f ′)—CFH—R f ″ (I) wherein each R f ′ is independently a fluorine atom or a perfluoroalkvl group that is linear, branched, cyclic, or a combination thereof and that optionally contains at least one catenated heteroatom; each R f ″ is independently a periluoroalkyl group that is linear, branched, cyclic, or a combination thereof and that optionally contains at least one catenated heteroatom, and R 1 and R 2 are independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group that is linear, branched, cyclic, or a combination thereof and that optionally contains at least one catenated heteroatom, or a fluoroalkyl group that is linear, branched, cyclic, or a combination thereof and that optionally contains at least one catenated heteroatom.