Methods for removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFAC)

A method of removing sulfur dioxide (SO2) as an impurity in a process for producing trifluoroacetyl iodide (TFAI), the method comprising:

• reacting a reactant stream comprising trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFAC), hydrogen iodide (HI), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) to produce a stream comprising trifluoroacetyl iodide (TFAI) and hydrogen chloride (HCI), along with unreacted trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFAC) and hydrogen iodide (HI), and sulfur dioxide (SO2);
• distilling the stream;
• recovering a first overhead stream comprising hydrogen chloride (HCl), trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFAC), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and hydrogen iodide (HI);
• recovering a first bottoms product comprising TFAI;
• and
• conveying, at least one of before and after the distilling step, the stream through an adsorption column to reduce an amount of the sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the stream.