2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol

2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol (TFE) or trifluoroethyl alcohol is a trifluoro substituted alcohol. It is a coloreless, water miscible liquid with a smell reminiscent of ethanol. Due to the electronegativity of fluorine atoms, this compound exhibits a stronger acidic character compared to ethanol. Thus TFE can form stable complexes also with heterocycles (e.g. THF or pyridine) through hydrogen bonding.

TFE can be synthesized by means of hydrogenolysis on compounds of generic formula CF3&minus;CHOH&minus;OR (where R is hydrogen or an alkyl group containing from one to eight carbon atoms), in the presence of a palladium containing catalyst deposited on activated charcoal. As a co-catalyst tertiary aliphatic amines like triethylamine are commonly employed.

Trifluoroethanol is used as a solvent in organic chemistry, but it is also a source of trifluoromethyl group for various chemical reactions. Oxidation of trifluoroethanol yields trifluoroacetaldehyde or trifluoroacetic acid. In biology TFE is used as a co-solvent in protein folding studies with NMR: this solvent can effectively solubilize both peptides and proteins and it is known that, depending upon its concentration, TFE can strongly affect the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Industrially trifluoroethanol is employed as a solvent for nylon as well as in applications of the pharmaceutical field.