Perfluorocarbon

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs ) are completely substituted with fluorine carbon compounds. Simple carbon chains such as the perfluorinated octane derivative perfluorooctane ( C8F18 ) are just as common as complex, cyclic fluoro- carbon compounds. The formally simplest representative is the Tetrafluoromethane.

Use

Perfluorocarbons find use as a refrigerant, and as an insulating medium such as in transformers.

Due to their very long average residence time in the atmosphere have all perfluorocarbons, similar to the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs ), very high global warming potential. According to the Federal Environment Agency are per- and polyfluorinated chemicals in nature hardly degraded or not. You are in human blood and - to a much lower concentration - in breast milk detectable. In addition, they have now been measured in remote areas such as the Arctic and Antarctica and are considered relevant to the climate.

Medical use of PFC found in ophthalmology. Furthermore, perfluorocarbons can be used for liquid ventilation. Many perfluorocarbons have a low surface tension and spread very easily on surfaces due to the high coefficient of expansion. These properties and the great potential for the transport of gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide or nitric oxide, perfluorocarbons owe their use in respiration.

Biologically inert perfluorocarbons to important exceptions: essential characteristic for biological safety is the missing feature of the perfluorocarbons in the formation of radicals. Disagreement exists at present as to whether and in what form incorporated perfluorocarbons are able to influence intra-and intercellular signaling pathways directly.

PFCs are sometimes used as a doping agent, as they like as red blood cells transport oxygen. They can be detected, for example by gas chromatography in doping tests.