Methyl pentafluorobenzoate (CAS number 36629-42-2) or methyl perfluorobenzoate is a fully fluorinated benzoic acid methyl ester. Methyl pentafluorobenzoate is used to synthesize linkers for graft polymers such as perfluorophenyl azide with N-hydroxysuccinimide end group (PFPA-NHS). To synthesize PFPA-NHS, it begins with a nucleophilic aromatic substitution of sodium azide to the para-position of ester. The hydrolysis of the ester is followed forming an azide perfluorobenzoic acid. The last step involves an EDC (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide) catalyzed coupling reaction of N-hydroxysuccinimide and the carboxylic acid. PFPA-NHS has been used for preparing polyaniline grafted graphene and catalase grafted polycaprolactone.
After the hydrolysis of the ester group, methyl pentafluorobenzoate binds to cadmium for luminescence metal complexes with overall quantum yield up to 39%.