An improved synthesis of 2,3,3‐trifluoroprop‐2‐enol (FA1) and its copolymerization in solution with vinylidene fluoride (VDF, or 1,1‐difluoroethylene) initiated by tert‐butyl peroxypivalate are presented. A new synthesis of FA1, with NaH and lithium diisopropylamine as bases, from 2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropanol is described. A series of nine copolymerization reactions were investigated from initial [VDF]0/[FA1]0 molar ratios of 9.1/90.9 to 94.2/5.8. The copolymer compositions were calculated via 19F NMR spectroscopy. From the Tidwell–Mortimer method, the reactivity ratios of both comonomers were determined (rFA1 = 0.11 ± 0.22 and rVDF = 0.83 ± 0.77 at 50°C), and they showed an azeotropic point. Alfrey and Price's Q and e values of FA1 were calculated to be 0.0178 (from QVDF = 0.008), 0.039 (from QVDF = 0.015), and 0.275 (from QVDF = 0.036) and 2.74 (vs eVDF = 1.20), 2.04 (vs eVDF = 0.50), and 1.94 (vs eVDF = 0.4), respectively, and they indicated that FA1 is an electron‐accepting monomer. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3634–3643, 2002