Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are unsaturated

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

s composed of

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

and

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...

. These

organofluorine compound Organofluorine chemistry describes the chemistry of organofluorine compounds, organic compounds that contain a carbon–fluorine bond. Organofluorine compounds find diverse applications ranging from oil and water repellents to pharmaceuticals, ...

s are of interest as

refrigerant A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the cooling, heating, or reverse cooling/heating cycles of air conditioning systems and heat pumps, where they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are ...

s. Unlike traditional

hydrofluorocarbon Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are synthetic organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen atoms, and are the most common type of organofluorine compounds. Most are gases at room temperature and pressure. They are frequently used in air condit ...

s (HFCs) and

chlorofluorocarbon Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly Halogenation, halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatility (chemistry), volat ...

s (CFCs), which are saturated, HFOs are

olefins In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as α-olefins. The International Union of P ...

, otherwise known as

alkene In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins. The Internationa ...

s. HFO refrigerants are categorized as having zero

ozone depletion potential The ozone depletion potential (ODP) of a chemical compound is the relative amount of degradation to the ozone layer it can cause, with trichlorofluoromethane (R-11 or CFC-11) being fixed at an ODP of 1.0. Chlorodifluoromethane (R-22), for examp ...

(ODP) and low

global warming potential Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a specific time period, relative to carbon dioxide (). It is expressed as a multiple of warming caused by the same mass of carbon dioxide ( ...

(GWP) and so offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to CFC, HCFC, and HFC refrigerants. Compared to HCFCs and HFCs, HFOs have shorter tropospheric lifetimes due to the reactivity of the C=C bond with hydroxyl radicals and chlorine radicals. This quick reactivity prevents them from reaching the stratosphere and participating in the depletion of good ozone, leading to strong interest in the development and characterization of new HFO blends for use as refrigerants. Many refrigerants in the HFO class are inherently stable chemically and inert, non toxic, and non-flammable or mildly flammable. Many HFOs have the proper freezing and boiling points to be useful for refrigeration at common temperatures. They have also been adopted as blowing agents, i.e. in production of insulation foams, food industry, construction materials, and others. However, HFOs degrade to produce

trifluoroacetic acid Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a synthetic organofluorine compound with the chemical formula CF3CO2H. It belongs to the subclass of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) known as ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). TFA is not ...

, a persistent toxic chemical which can lead to acidification of water bodies, and which can accumulate in wetlands, a sensitive ecosystem. HFOs are being developed as "fourth generation"

s with 0.1% of the GWP of HFCs.

Examples

HFOs in use include: * 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf, trademarked as Opteon YF) and

1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene is a hydrofluoroolefin Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are Saturated and unsaturated compounds, unsaturated organic compounds composed of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon. These organofluorine compounds are of interest as refrig ...

(HFO-1234ze). * ''cis''-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz-Z; DR-2) shows also a promise in high temperature applications like

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

, heat recovery and medium temperature

heat pump A heat pump is a device that uses electricity to transfer heat from a colder place to a warmer place. Specifically, the heat pump transfers thermal energy using a heat pump and refrigeration cycle, cooling the cool space and warming the warm s ...

s. * ''trans''-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (HFO-1336mzz-E) also has good properties, and is being investigated. The largest brand of HFOs is Opteon, produced by

Chemours The Chemours Company (, ) is an American chemical industry, chemical company that was founded in July 2015 as a Corporate spin-off, spin-off from DuPont. It has its corporate headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. Chemours is the m ...

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

spin-off).

References

{{reflist Fluoroalkenes Organofluorides Refrigerants

Examples

See also

References