Octafluoropropane
Encyclopedia
Octafluoropropane is a fluorocarbon
non-flammable greenhouse gas
that can be produced either by electrochemical fluorination
or by the Fowler process
using cobalt fluoride
.
material for SiO2
layers in semiconductor applications, as oxides are selectively etched versus their metal substrates.
In medicine, octafluoropropane may compose the gas cores of microbubble contrast agents used in contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Octafluoropropane microbubbles reflects sound waves well and are used to improve the ultrasound signal backscatter. It is also used in pars plana vitrectomy
procedures where a retina hole or tear is repaired. The gas acts to provide a long-term tamponade, or plug, of a retinal hole/tear and allows re-attachment of the retina to occur over the following several days post-op.
Under the name R-218, octafluoropropane is used in other industries as a component of refrigeration mixtures.
It has featured in some plans for terraforming Mars
.
Fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbons, sometimes referred to as perfluorocarbons or PFCs, are organofluorine compounds that contain only carbon and fluorine bonded together in strong carbon–fluorine bonds. Fluoroalkanes that contain only single bonds are more chemically and thermally stable than alkanes...
non-flammable greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
that can be produced either by electrochemical fluorination
Electrochemical fluorination
Electrochemical fluorination , or electrofluorination, is a foundational organofluorine chemistry method for the preparation of fluorocarbon-based organofluorine compounds. The general approach represents an application of electrosynthesis...
or by the Fowler process
Fowler process
The Fowler Process is an industry and laboratory route to fluorocarbons, by fluorinating hydrocarbons or their partially fluorinated derivatives in the vapor phase over cobalt fluoride.- Background :...
using cobalt fluoride
Cobalt(III) fluoride
Cobalt fluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula CoF3. This highly reactive, hygroscopic brown solid is used to synthesize organofluorine compounds...
.
Applications
In the electronics industry, octafluoropropane is mixed with oxygen and used as a plasma etchingPlasma etching
Plasma etching is a form of plasma processing used to fabricate integrated circuits. It involves a high-speed stream of glow discharge of an appropriate gas mixture being shot at a sample. The plasma source, known as etch species, can be either charged or neutral...
material for SiO2
Silicon dioxide
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula '. It has been known for its hardness since antiquity...
layers in semiconductor applications, as oxides are selectively etched versus their metal substrates.
In medicine, octafluoropropane may compose the gas cores of microbubble contrast agents used in contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Octafluoropropane microbubbles reflects sound waves well and are used to improve the ultrasound signal backscatter. It is also used in pars plana vitrectomy
Vitrectomy
Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the eye. Anterior vitrectomy entails removing small portions of the vitreous from the front structures of the eye—often because these are tangled in an intraocular lens or other structures...
procedures where a retina hole or tear is repaired. The gas acts to provide a long-term tamponade, or plug, of a retinal hole/tear and allows re-attachment of the retina to occur over the following several days post-op.
Under the name R-218, octafluoropropane is used in other industries as a component of refrigeration mixtures.
It has featured in some plans for terraforming Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
.
Liquid phase
- Liquid density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 1601 kg/m³
- Liquid/gas equivalent (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 196 vol/vol
- Latent heat of vaporization (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 104.25 kJ/kg
Gaseous phase
- Gas density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 10.3 kg/m³
- Gas density (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 8.17 kg/m³
- Compressibility Factor (Z) (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 0.975
- Specific gravity (air = 1) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 6.683
- Specific volume (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 0.125 m³/kg
- Viscosity (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 0.000125 Poise
- Thermal conductivity (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 12.728 mW/(m·K)
- Thermal Conductivity, Gas @ 101.325 kPa and 25 °C: 13.8 mW/(m·K)
- Vapour Pressure @ 21.1 °C: 792 kPa