1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropan-2-ol (HFP) as a solvent for electrochemistry

1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoropropan-2-ol (HFP) is a non-nucleophilic and highly polar solvent with strongly solvating ability toward nucleophiles, especially anionic ones. This combination of properties makes HFP a favourable solvent for electrode reactions in which stabilization of radical cations is required, or where anion participation is not desirable. Examples of successful applications are described for aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds, nitrones, anions, or halogens and halogen-containing compounds. A special case is electropolymerization to give conducting polymers, where the generally lower reactivity of radical cations in HFP leads to qualitatively different behaviour, e.g. formation of a dehydrodimer radical cation from fluoroanthene in HFP as compared to the formation of a conducting polymer in acetonitrile.