Process for the manufacture of fluorosurfactants

A process for the manufacture of a perfluorooxycarboxylate of formula (I): RfO-CF2CF2-O-CF2-COOXa (I), wherein Rf is a perfluoro(oxy)alkyl group, and Xa is H, a monovalent metal or an ammonium group of formula NRN4, with RN, equal or different at each occurrence, being H or a C1-6 hydrocarbon group, said process comprising: (A) reacting a perfluorovinylether of formula Rf-O-CF═CF2 with an ethylene glycol derivative selected among ethylene glycol (HO-CH2CH2-OH), glycolic acid (HO-CH2-COOH), glycolaldehyde (HO-CH2-CHO) and protected derivatives thereof, so as to yield the corresponding addition product of formula Rf-O-CFH-CF2-O-CH2-E, and E being selected among -CH2OH, -COOH and -CHO; (B) optionally protecting functional group E with suitable chemistry; (C) fluorinating the (protected) addition product to yield the corresponding perfluorinated addition product; (D) optionally deprotecting the perfluorinated addition product to yield corresponding acyl fluoride of formula Rf-O-CF2-CF2-O-CF2-C(O)F; and (E) hydrolyzing and, optionally, neutralizing, the acyl fluoride for yielding the perfluorooxycarboxylate of formula (I).