Selective synthesis of fluorinated ethers by addition reaction of alcohols to fluorinated olefins in water

Abstract

The green process for the preparation of fluorinated ether by the addition reaction of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol to fluorinated olefins was examined. The selective synthesis of fluorinated ether was achieved by increasing the amount of the proton source in the reaction. The reaction with water as the proton source was a particularly environmentally friendly process, because a highly selective synthesis was achieved by means of a completely organic solvent-free procedure. Also, it allowed for a simple work-up, and a scaling up was easily performed.