Knowra Fluorocarbon Fluorocarbon A fluorocarbon is a chemical compound containing carbon and fluorine, with hydrogen or other elements sometimes also present. Its strong carbon–fluorine bonds give many fluorocarbons unusual chemical stability and useful material properties.
Carbon–fluorine bond : A covalent bond between carbon and fluorine atoms, notable for its high strength and polarity. Its strength underlies the chemical resistance characteristic of many fluorocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbon : A compound containing carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, formerly common in refrigerants and aerosol propellants. CFCs are a major historical fluorocarbon application, later restricted for ozone damage.
Ozone depletion : The reduction of ozone concentration in the stratosphere, especially pronounced over Antarctica each spring. Chlorine-bearing fluorocarbons release radicals that catalytically destroy stratospheric ozone.
Tetrafluoromethane : A colorless, nonflammable gas with the formula CF₄, also called carbon tetrafluoride. Its extreme stability makes it a potent, long-lived greenhouse gas.
Fluorine : The chemical element with atomic number 9, the most electronegative element. Fluorine’s electronegativity helps determine how carbon–fluorine bonds behave.
Hydrofluorocarbon : A compound containing hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon, used chiefly as a refrigerant. HFCs replaced many ozone-depleting refrigerants, though some strongly warm the climate.
Montreal Protocol : A 1987 international treaty that phases out substances responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion. The treaty drove the global phaseout of many ozone-depleting fluorocarbon refrigerants.
Hexafluoroethane : A colorless gas with the formula C₂F₆, used in semiconductor manufacturing and other specialized applications. This highly persistent fluorocarbon illustrates the climate cost of industrial emissions.
Carbon : The chemical element with atomic number 6, able to form stable chains and rings. Carbon supplies the molecular frameworks to which fluorine atoms attach.
Perfluorocarbon : A compound in which fluorine replaces every hydrogen atom in a carbon-based framework. Their inertness and gas solubility support specialized medical and industrial uses.
Show all 22