Chlorofluorocarbon

Description

Any of various halocarbon compounds containing Carbon, Hydrogen, Chlorine, and Fluorine. The first chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), named Freon®, was developed in 1928. Since CFC's were chemically inert, non-irritating and nonflammable, they were chosen to replace [[ammonia (anhydrous)|ammonia] and Sulfur dioxide as refrigerants. Other applications soon followed, such as aerosol propellants, fire extinguishers and blowing agents for foams. By the 1970s, it was determined that CFC's decompose in the stratosphere releasing atomic chlorine that reacts with Ozone. This depletion of the ozone layer led to the phased prohibition of CFC's in 1979. Examples of CFC's are Freon, Halon, Frigen, Arcton, trichlorofluoromethane, and Dichlorodifluoromethane.

Chlorofluorocarbon is on the ILFI Red list of building materials.

Synonyms and Related Terms

CFC; FCC; Freon®; Frigen; Halon; Arcton; trichlorofluoromethane; dichlorodifluoromethane

Risks

• Nonflammable and noncorrosive
• Depletes the Earth's protective ozone layer
• Can cause headaches, sleepiness, numbness, neurotoxicity as well as upper respiratory problems.

Resources and Citations

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: Chlorofluorocarbon. Retrieved July 1, 2003.
• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000