Abstract: Straight chain perfluoroolefins compounds of medium length with terminal or double bonds and a minor proportion of trifluoromethyl side chains or mixtures of such perfluoroolefins with perfluoro paraffins of equal chain length and corresponding structure, the perfluoroolefins being present in the mixture in an amount of 40 to 70%. The compounds are valuable as highly reactive intermediate products in the production of surface active agents. The compounds are made by subjecting a highly fluorinated organic compound to degradation by means of a high energy radiation of a density of 0.3 to 3.0 W/cm.sup.2 effected in a radiation chamber which has been subjected to a preceding rinsing with an inert gas or with a monomeric highly fluorinated organic compound.

Abstract: Processes for the separation of a potassium salt of a perfluoroalkanoic acid having at least 1 and at most 12 carbon atoms per molecule or a mixture of potassium salts of a homologous mixture of the said perfluoroalkanoic acids from an aqueous solution that also contains a substantial proportion of one or more watersoluble salts of inorganic acids which process comprises extracting at room temperature the said aqueous solution with an organic solvent which is at least partially miscible with water and in which potassium salts of the said perfluoroalkanoic acids are soluble, the said organic solvent being selected from the group consisting of alkanols having at least 3 and at most 5 carbon atoms per molecule, ketones having at least 3 and at most 7 carbon atoms per molecule, N,N-dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide, and subsequently recovering the potassium salt of the perfluoroalkanoic acid or mixture of potassium salts of the homologous mixture of perfluoroalkanoic acids.