Anodic oxidation of perfluorocarboxylic acids in presence of isopropenyl acetate

Abstract The electrooxidation of perfluorocarboxylic acids R f COOH (where R f = CF 3 , C 2 F 5 , n-C 3 F 7 , C 4 F 9 , C 6 F 13 , C 8 F 17 ) on platinum or glasscarbon electrodes in presence of isopropenyl acetate (I) have been studied. Ester (I) serves as an acceptor of electrochemically generated radicals, while Kolbe synthesis proceeds to a small extent: Radical (A) can be stabilized by three ways, the predominant one results in perfluoroalkylacetones (II) (30–37%).