Convenient synthesis of 3,3,3-trifluoropropanoic acid by hydrolytic oxidation of 3,3,3-trifluoropropanal dimethyl acetal

A convenient and efficient method for preparing 3,3,3-trifluoropropanoic acid (1) is reported. The starting material is 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (2) that can be easily transformed into 3,3,3-trifluoropropanal dimethyl acetal (4) on treatment with methanol and KOH followed by acid-catalyzed addition of methanol. Direct transformation of 4 into 1 was efficiently achieved with 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide (4.0 equiv.) in the presence of FeCl3 (0.025 equiv.) and hydrochloric acid (0.5 equiv.).