Surflon S-111
Surflon S-111 is a commercial product consisting of perfluorinated carboxylic acids in ammonium salt form. It is commonly used as a polymerization aid in the production of fluoropolymers.
The dominant chemical compound is perfluorononanoic acid at 74% by weight, followed by the 11 carbon perfluoroundecanoic acid, and the 13 carbon perfluorotridecanoic acid.
Surflon S-111 is synthesized in Japan by oxidizing a mixture of fluorotelomer olefins. Fluorotelomer olefins are synthesized using a telomerization of tetrafluoroethylene taxogens, followed by an ethylene insertion. The olefin is oxidized, removing one carbon to yield products with an odd number of carbons with even-lengthed fluorocarbon chains plus a carboxylic acid group. As the fluorotelomer olefins are dominated by F8CH=CH2, PFNA is the major PFCA product.
Surflon S-111 "is described as Fatty acids, C7-C13, perfluoro, ammonium salts".
