Process for the electrochemical fluorination of organic compounds

A process of electrochemically fluorinating an organic compound, the process comprising:

• electrolyzing a liquid reaction medium in a electrochemical cell,
• wherein the liquid reaction medium comprises an organic compound comprising a hydrogen atom bound to a carbon atom;
• the electrochemical cell comprises a cathode and an anode;
• the liquid reaction medium further comprises a fluorinating agent selected from complexes of HF with amine bases;
• the electrolyzing replaces the hydrogen atom of the organic compound with a fluorine atom;
• and
• the anode comprises a gas diffusion layer,
• wherein the gas diffusion layer comprises a fibre layer or substrate, and a microporous layer consisting of carbon particles attached to each other, and wherein the organic compound is a compound of formula (I):
• wherein
• X is O, N—R3 or CR4R5,
• R1 is C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, formyl, C1-C6-alkylcarbonyl, or C1-C6-alkyloxycarbonyl, or, if X is a CR4R5 group, R1 is optionally C1-C6-alkoxy, or if X is N—R3 or CR4R5, R1 is optionally C1-C6-alkylcarbonyloxy,
• R2 is hydrogen, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, C6-C10-aryl-C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C12-cycloalkyl, or C6-C10-aryl,
• R3 is hydrogen, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, formyl, C1-C6 alkylcarbonyl, or C1-C6-alkyloxycarbonyl,
• R4 and R5 are each independently hydrogen, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, or C1-C6-alkoxy,
• R1 and R2 and the X—(C═O)—O group to which they are bound optionally form a 5- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring optionally comprising O, S, NRa or C═O, wherein Ra is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, or aryl, and
• if X is a CR4R5 group, R1 and R4 and the carbon atom to which they are bound optionally form a carbocyclic ring of from 3 to 7 members.