Fluorochemicals

Trifluoroacetyl Chloride

Trifluoroacetyl chloride, a gas at ambient conditions and sold as a liquid under pressure, provides a convenient way to introduce a trifluoromethyl group into complex organic molecules. It is used in the production of agricultural and pharmaceutical molecules.

When reacted with a compound containing active hydrogen it will yield a trifluoromethyl compound and hydrochloric acid as byproduct. Due to the electron withdrawing effect of CF3 group, the reactivity of the carbonyl group towards nucleophilic reagents is increased when compared to the non-fluorinated analogue.