Fluoroalcohols are

organofluorine compound Organofluorine chemistry describes the chemistry of the organofluorines, organic compounds that contain the carbon–fluorine bond. Organofluorine compounds find diverse applications ranging from oil and water repellents to pharmaceuticals, refri ...

s consisting of an

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is a substituent or moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions regardless of the rest ...

with at least one C-F bond. These compounds often have distinctive solvent properties.

Perfluoroalcohols

Most primary and secondary perfluoroalcohols are unstable, for example

trifluoromethanol Trifluoromethanol is the organic compound with the formula . It is also referred to as perfluoromethanol or trifluoromethyl alcohol. The compound is the simplest perfluoroalcohol. The substance is a colorless gas, which is unstable at room temper ...

eliminates

hydrogen fluoride Hydrogen fluoride (fluorane) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . This colorless gas or liquid is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often as an aqueous solution called hydrofluoric acid. It is an important feedstock i ...

, forming

carbonyl fluoride Carbonyl fluoride is a chemical compound with the formula COF2. It is a carbon oxohalide. This gas, like its analog phosgene, is colourless and highly toxic. The molecule is planar with ''C''2v symmetry, bond lengths of 1.174 Å (C=O) and 1.312 ...

. This reaction is reversible. : ⇌ + {{chem, H, F (I) Stable perfluorinated alcohols include

nonafluoro-tert-butyl alcohol Nonafluoro-''tert''-butyl alcohol (''IUPAC name'': 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propan-2-ol) is a fluoroalcohol. It is the perfluorinated analog of ''tert''-butyl alcohol. Notably, as a consequence of its electron withdrawing flu ...

((CF₃)₃COH) and

pentafluorophenol Pentafluorophenol is the organofluorine compound (specifically a fluoroalcohol) with the formula C6F5OH. This is the perfluorinated analogue of phenol. It is a white odorless solid that melts just above room temperature. With a pKa of 5.5, it is o ...

(C₆F₅OH).

Partially fluorinated alcohols

Numerous partially fluorinated alcohols are known.

Trifluoroethanol 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol is the organic compound with the formula CF3CH2OH. Also known as TFE or trifluoroethyl alcohol, this colourless, water-miscible liquid has a smell reminiscent of ethanol. Due to the electronegativity of the trifluoromethyl ...

is a popular solvent.

Fluorotelomer alcohol Fluorotelomer alcohols, or FTOHs, are fluorotelomers with an alcohol functional group. They are volatile precursors to perfluorinated carboxylic acids, such as PFOA and PFNA, and other compounds. Naming Commonly, an individual fluorotelomer alco ...

s are precursors to

perfluorocarboxylic acid Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), or perfluorocarboxylic acids are compounds of the formula CnF(2n+1)CO2H that belong to the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The simplest example is trifluoroacetic acid. These compounds are o ...

Pirkle's alcohol Pirkle's alcohol is an off-white, crystalline solid that is stable at room temperature when protected from light and oxygen. This chiral molecule is typically used, in nonracemic form, as a chiral shift reagent in nuclear magnetic resonance spectr ...

is used a

chiral shift reagent A chiral shift reagent is a reagent used in analytical chemistry for determining the optical purity of a sample. Some analytical techniques such as HPLC and NMR, in their most commons forms, cannot distinguish enantiomers within a sample, but ca ...

nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a spectroscopic technique to observe local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei. The sample is placed in a magnetic fiel ...

References

Organofluorides Alcohols