The Simons ElectroChemical Fluorination (ECF) process is an important industrial manufacturing methodology that the 3M Company has used for over 50 years for the production of perfluoroacyl fluorides, hereto referred to as fluorocarbonyl fluorides.
In 1996, 3M introduced a new family of industrial chemicals, the HydroFluoro Ethers (HFEs), which used the fluorocarbonyl fluorides as starting materials. More recently, in 2000-2001, perfluoroacyl fluorides were used at 3M as starting materials to prepare fluoroketones, which may serve as intermediates and further converted into secondary HFEs, s-HFEs, for use as high purity solvents or the fluoroketones may be used directly as fire extinguishing agents.
This presentation is part of a success story on the synthetic methodology used by 3M for the preparation of fluoroketones and their subsequent use for preparing s-HFEs. Additionally, data on the new fire extinguishing agent, Novec 1230, C2F5COCF(CF3)2, as well as several short video clips will also be part of the presentation.
Novec 1230 was one of the products described in the November 29th 2004 edition of Time magazine article entitled The Most Amazing Inventions of the Year.