Fluorinated phosphorus compounds: Part 6. The synthesis of bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphites and bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphorohalidates

Reaction of phosphorus trichloride with tert-butanol and fluoroalcohols gave bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphites (R_FO)₂P(O)H in 42-89% yield, where R_F=HCF₂CH₂, H(CF₂)₂CH₂, H(CF₂)₄CH₂, CF₃CH₂, C₂F₅CH₂, C₃F₇CH₂, (CF₃)₂CH, (FCH₂)₂CH, CF₃(CH₃)₂C, (CF₃)₂CH₃C, CF₃CH₂CH₂, C₄F₉CH₂CH₂ and C₆F₁₃CH₂CH₂. Treatment of these with chlorine in dichloromethane gave the bis(fluoroalkyl) phosphorochloridates (R_FO)₂P(O)Cl in 49-96% yield. The chloridate (CF₃CH₂O)₂P(O)Cl was isolated in much lower yield from the interaction of thionyl chloride with bis(trifluoroethyl) phosphite. Heating the latter in dichloromethane with potassium fluoride and a catalytic amount of trifluoroacetic acid gave the corresponding fluoridate (CF₃CH₂O)₂P(O)F in 84% yield. Treatment of bis(trifluoroethyl) phosphite with bromine or iodine gave the bromidate (CF₃CH₂O)₂P(O)Br and iodidate (CF₃CH₂O)₂P(O)I in 51 and 46% yield, respectively. The iodidate is the first dialkyl phosphoroiodidate to have been isolated and characterised properly—its discovery lags behind the first isolation of a dialkyl phosphorochloridate by over 130 years. The fluoroalkyl phosphoryl compounds are generally more stable than known unfluorinated counterparts.