Surface properties of fluorinated carbon were characterised from the point
of view of its use as a material for catalytic purposes. Samples with diffe
rent fluorine content (from 10 to 65 wt.%) were tested for their catalytic
activity for a number of reactions of acid-base catalysis involving residua
l hydroxyl groups as active centres. It was found that they were capable of
catalysing only such a reaction proceeding through the formation of carben
ium ion for which the presence of very weak acid centres is sufficient. The
generation of only weak acidity as a result of fluorination was unexpected
, therefore calculations were performed using AM1 method to explain this fa
ct. A simple molecule used as a model of fluorinated carbon surface enabled
to predict acidity of residual OH groups which was in agreement with exper
imental findings.