# US 8,784,763 B2 · Methods and reactor designs for producing phosphorus pentafluoride

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- Number: US 8,784,763 B2
- Document ID: US8784763B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/722,390
- Filed: 2010-03-11
- Published: 2010-09-16
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2009-03-13
- Assignees: Honeywell International Inc.
- Applicants: Matthew H. Luly; Robert A. Smith; Haridasan K. Nair; Philip DePrato; Konstantin A. Pokrovski; Daniel C. Merkel; Kevin Uhrich; Stephen A. Cottrell; Daniel J. Brenner
- Inventors: Matthew H. Luly; Robert A. Smith; Haridasan K. Nair; Philip DePrato; Konstantin A. Pokrovski; Daniel C. Merkel; Kevin Uhrich; Stephen A. Cottrell; Daniel J. Brenner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784763B2

## CPC

- C01B 25/10: Halides or oxyhalides of phosphorus
- B01J 4/002: {Nozzle-type elements (nozzle-type reactors B01J19/26)}
- B01J 12/00: Chemical processes in general for reacting gaseous media with gaseous media; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J3/08, B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence)
- B01J 19/24: Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02)
- C01B 25/455: containing halogen {(completely halogenated alkali metal phosphates C01D, e.g. lithium hexafluorophosphate C01D15/005)}
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS

## Abstract

Processes and systems for the production of phosphorus pentafluoride (PF5) through continuous fluorination of phosphorus are provided herein. A phosphorus feed stream and a fluorine feed stream are provided to a reactor, wherein they are reacted in a gas-gas or liquid-gas reaction to produce phosphorus pentafluoride (PF5). The phosphorus feed can be derived from white phosphorus or yellow phosphorus, and can be provided to the reactor as a liquid or a vapor. The fluorine can be provided to the reactor as a vapor, and preferably comprises elemental fluorine gas.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing phosphorus pentafluoride, the process comprising the steps of:
providing a phosphorus feed stream to a reactor, the phosphorus in the phosphorous feed stream being elemental phosphorus comprising white phosphorus or yellow phosphorus;
providing a fluorine feed stream to the reactor, the fluorine feed stream being a vapor stream comprising elemental fluorine gas; reacting the phosphorus feed stream and the fluorine feed stream in the reactor according to stoichiometry:
P+2.5F2→PF5; and
removing a product stream from the reactor that comprises phosphorus pentafluoride, wherein the step of providing a phosphorus feed stream to a reactor comprises:
introducing a liquid phosphorus feed stream into the reactor; and vaporizing the liquid phosphorus feed stream in the reactor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process for producing phosphorus pentafluoride of claim 1, wherein the step of vaporizing comprises heating the first phosphorus stream in the vaporizer to a temperature greater than about 200° C.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process for producing phosphorus pentafluoride of claim 1, wherein the liquid phosphorus feed stream is contained in the bottom zone of the reactor as a liquid phosphorus supply, and the step of vaporizing comprises introducing a gas stream into the bottom zone of the reactor that bubbles up through the liquid phosphorus supply.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The process for producing phosphorus pentafluoride of claim 3, wherein the gas stream introduced into the bottom zone of the reactor comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of fluorine, nitrogen, phosphorus pentafluoride, hydrogen fluoride, helium, neon, argon, and mixtures thereof.