Process for preparing aliphatic fluorofomates

A method for the production of aliphatic fluoroformates, wherein carbonyl fluoride is made to react with aliphatic alcohol in the presence of sodium fluoride in ether at a temperature of -20° to 50° C. The method is carried out using carbonyl fluoride obtained by reacting phosgene with surplus powdered sodium fluoride, whereby the grains thereof have a specific surface of 0.1 m /g or more and/or an average diameter of 20 mum or less, at a temperature ranging from 25° to 120° C. The method enables unstable fluoroformates such as tertiobutyl to be obtained with excellent yields.