Vinyl fluoride is an organic halide with the chemical formula C2H3F. It is a colorless gas with a faint ether-like odor. It is used as the monomeric precursor to the fluoropolymer polyvinylfluoride.
Production It was first prepared in 1901 by Frédéric Swarts, the Belgian chemist who was the first to prepare chlorofluorocarbons in 1892. Swarts used the reaction of zinc with 1,1-difluoro-2-bromoethane. It is produced industrially by two routes, one being the mercury-catalyzed reaction of acetylene and hydrogen fluoride:Günter Siegemund, Werner Schwertfeger, Andrew Feiring, Bruce Smart, Fred Behr, Herward Vogel, Blaine McKusick “Fluorine Compounds, Organic” Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2002. HC≡CH + HF → CH2=CHF It is also prepared from 1,1-chlorofluoroethane: CH3CHClF → CH2=CHF + HCl
Safety Vinyl fluoride is classified as an IARC Group 2A carcinogen (likely to cause cancer in humans).
Additional data Its critical point is at 54.8 °C (328 K) and 5.24 MPa. Its molecular dipole moment is 1.4 Debye and heat of vaporization is 361 kJ/kg.
See also Polyvinyl fluoride Vinyl chloride Vinyl bromide
References
External links US Occupational Safety and Health Administration data sheet CDC - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards Vinyl fluoride data sheet, EnvironmentalChemistry.com Vinyl fluoride data sheet, airliquide.com MSDS Safety data at inchem.org Information about its carcinogenity