Fluorotelomer alcohol

Fluorotelomer alcohols, or FTOHs, are fluorotelomers with an alcohol functional group. They are volatile precursors to perfluorinated carboxylic acids, such as PFOA and PFNA, and other compounds.

Commonly, an individual fluorotelomer alcohol molecule is named by the number of carbons that are fluorinated versus the number that are hydrocarbon-based. For example, 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol would represent a molecule with 8 fluorinated carbons and a 2 carbon ethyl alcohol group. The structure of a fluorotelomer alcohol is most commonly F(CF₂)_nCH₂CH₂OH, where n is an even number.

The synthesis of fluorotelomer alcohols requires a varying number of tetrafluoroethylene monomers that form an oligomer with a pentafluoroethyl iodide telogen. The fluorinated iodide then undergoes an addition with ethylene to form an organoiodine compound with increased synthesis possibilities. The terminal iodine is replaced by a hydroxyl group to yield the fluorotelomer alcohol. Then the fluorotelomer alcohol can then be used to produce acrylate polymers with hydrocarbon "backbones" with the fluorotelomer alcohols attached via ester functional groups. However, because ester groups are vulnerable to hydrolysis and microbial enzymes, these polymers are under investigation for their potential to degrade into environmental contaminants, threatening "the future of some carpet and fabric stain repellants and paper coatings made from these polymers." FTOHs can also be used as intermediates in the production of surfactants.

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