Photochemistry of perfluoroacyl halides in the presence of O2 and CO

Photolyses of CF₃C(O)X and C₂F₅C(O)X (X=Cl, F) at 254 nm in the presence of O₂ yield the perfluorinated radicals C₂F₅O (C₂) and CF₃O (C₁), respectively. The C₂ radicals decompose to give CF₃ radicals:

C₂F₅O→CF₃+CF₂O

which, in turn, react with O₂ leading to the formation of C₁ radicals. When in addition to O₂, CO is present, the C₁ radicals react with it leading to its catalytic oxidation to CO₂. The trioxide CF₃OC(O)O₃C(O)OCF₃ was observed following the photolysis of all four halides in the presence of O₂ and CO.

The other radical partners coming from the initial step in the photolysis (XC(O)) as well as the products of their reaction with O₂ (XC(O)O_y, y=1, 2) do not react with CO but when X=F they lead to the formation of a new stable peroxy molecule with the formula CF₃OC(O)O₂C(O)F. Some of the properties of this new molecule, its stability and its IR features are presented in this work.