Catalytic hydrogenolysis

摘要

A process is disclosed for the catalytic hydrogenolysis of at least one starting material selected from saturated acyclic halofluorocarbons and hydrohalofluorocarbons containing three or four carbon atoms, and from one to five non-fluorine halogens (each non-fluorine halogen being independently chlorine or bromine) wherein all non-fluorine halogen substituents are contained on end carbons. The process involves reacting the starting material with hydrogen at an elevated temperature of about 300 DEG C. or less in the presence of a catalyst containing a catalytically effective amount of palladium supported on carbon to produce a hydrogenolysis product wherein over 80 mole percent of the hydrogenolysis product is a saturated compound having the same distribution of fluorine substituents as the starting material. The carbon support has an ash content of less than about 0.5% by weight.