Kinetics and mechanism of the thermal gas-phase reaction between trifluoromethylhypofluorite,CF3OF,and tetrachloroethene

The thermal gas-phase reaction of CF₃OF with CCl₂CCl₂ has been studied between 313.8 and 343.8 K. The initial pressure of CF₃OF was varied between 10.8 and 77.5 torr and that of CCl₂CCl₂ between 3.7 and 26.8 torr. CF₃OF was always present in excess, varying the initial ratio of CF₃OF to that of CCl₂CCl₂ from 1.3 to 10. Three products were formed: CF₃OCCl₂CCl₂F, CCl₂FCCl₂F, and CF₃O(CCl₂CCl₂) ₂OCF₃. The yields of CF₃OCCl₂CCl₂F were 98–99.5%, based on the sum of the products. The reaction was a homogeneous chain reaction not affected by the total pressure. In presence of O₂ the oxidation of CCl₂CCl₂ to CCl₃C(O)Cl and COCl₂ occurred. The proposed basic reaction steps are: generation of the radicals CF₃O˙ and CCl₂FCCl₂˙ (κ₁) in a biomolecular process between CF₃OF and CCl₂CCl₂, formation of the radical CF₃OCCl₂CCl₂˙ by addition of CF₃O˙ to CCl₂CCl₂, chain generation of CF₃O˙ by abstraction of fluorine atom from CF₃OF by CF₃OCCl₂CCl₂˙ (κ₄), and chain termination by recombination of the radicals CF₃OCCl₂CCl₂˙. The expressions obtained for the constants κ₁ and κ₄ are κ₁ = 3.16 ± 0.6 × 10⁷ exp(?15.2 ± 1.7 Kcal mol^?1/RT) dm³ mol^?1 s^?1, κ₄ = 3.7 ± 0.5 × 10⁹ exp(?6.0 ± 1.1 Kcal mol^?1/RT) dm³ mol^?1 s^?1. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.