Electrochemical Fluorination

Electrochemical fluorination (ECF, Simons process) is one of the favored processes in the production of perfluorinated materials. In this chapter, technical aspects of the ECF process are described and a plausible mechanism of the ECF is discussed. Practical recommendations for the choice of starting materials and parameters of the ECF process are given. Examples of ECF of various organic compounds containing CS, CP, and SN bonds in anhydrous HF are described. Consecutive derivatization of the fluorinated compounds produced by means of the ECF process and syntheses of various organofluorine substances based on this are described. The influence of structures of starting compounds on the product distribution pattern during the ECF is discussed, and some useful rules and recommendations are presented.