Process for the preparation of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane

A process comprising the step of fluorinating a hydrochlorocarbon of the formula C.sub.3 H.sub.y Cl.sub.x, wherein x is an integer form 3 to 5, y is an integer from 1 to 3, x+y=4, 6, or 8and x-y=2, under conditions suitable to produce a 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product stream comprising 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product, unreacted starting materials, and reaction intermediates, wherein the fluorinating comprises fluorinating a hydrochlorocarbon selected from the group consisting of CHCl.sub.2 CHClCHCl.sub.2, E and Z isomers of CHCl.sub.2 CCl.dbd.CHCl, CCl.dbd.C.dbd.CHCl, E and Z isomers of CCl.sub.3 CH.dbd.CHCl, CHCl.sub.2 CH.dbd.CCl.sub.2, and mixtures thereof in the presence of an effective amount of hydrogen fluoride and a catalytic amount of a fluorination catalyst.

A process comprising the step of fluorinating a hydrochlorocarbon of the formula C.sub.3 H.sub.y Cl.sub.x, wherein x is an integer from 3 to 5, y is an integer from 1 to 3, x+y=4, 6, or 8, and x-y=2, in the presence of effective mounts of a metal fluoride selected from the group consisting of potassium fluoride, sodium fluoride, cesium fluoride, rubidium fluoride, lithium fluoride, ammonium fluoride, and silver fluoride and a solvent selected from the group consisting of N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfone, dimethyl sulfoxide, formamide, N-methylacetamide, N-methylformamide, dimethyl formamide, glycols, and glymes under conditions suitable to produce a 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product stream comprising 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product, unreacted starting materials, and reaction intermediates.

A process comprising the steps of:

• fluorinating a hydrochlorocarbon of the formula C.sub.3 H.sub.y Cl.sub.x, wherein x is an integer from 3 to 5, y is an integer from 1 to 3, x+y=4, 6, or 8, and x-y=2, in the presence of effective amounts of potassium fluoride and a solvent selected from the group consisting of N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfone, dimethyl sulfoxide, formamide, N-methylacetamide, N-methylformamide, dimethyl formamide, glycols, and glymes at a temperature from about 150 to about 250.degree. C. and for a reaction time of from about 1 second to about 24 hours to produce a 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product stream comprising 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane product, unreacted starting materials and reaction intermediates comprising HFC-1234ze, HCFC-1233 isomers, HCFC-1232 isomers and HCFC-1231 isomers;
• and
• recycling the reaction intermediates to the fluorinating step.