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Room Temperature Defluorination of Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) by a Magnesium Reagent.

Daniel J SheldonJoseph M ParrMark R Crimmin
Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society (2023)
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive in the environment. The largest single use material within the PFAS compound class is poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), a robust and chemically resistant polymer. Despite their widespread use and serious concerns about their role as pollutants, methods for repurposing PFAS are rare. Here we show that a nucleophilic magnesium reagent reacts with PTFE at room temperature, generating a molecular magnesium fluoride which is easily separated from the surface-modified polymer. The fluoride in turn can be used to transfer the fluorine atoms to a small array of compounds. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that the atomic fluorine content of PTFE can be harvested and reused in chemical synthesis.
Keyphrases
  • room temperature
  • drinking water
  • ionic liquid
  • positron emission tomography
  • pet imaging
  • heavy metals
  • high resolution
  • sensitive detection
  • fluorescent probe
  • high throughput
  • risk assessment
  • high density