CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE Property

Melting point:

-181°C

Boiling point:

-81,4°C

Density 

(-130℃)1.703g/cm3

refractive index 

1.1990

storage temp. 

-70°C

EPA Substance Registry System

CFC-13 (75-72-9)

Safety

Hazard Codes 

N

Risk Statements 

20-59

Safety Statements 

23-36/37/39-59

RIDADR 

1022

TSCA 

T

DOT Classification

2.2 (Nonflammable gas)

HazardClass 

2.2

Hazardous Substances Data

75-72-9(Hazardous Substances Data)

Hazard and Precautionary Statements (GHS)

Symbol(GHS)

Signal word

Danger

Hazard statements

H280Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated

Precautionary statements

P410+P403Protect from sunlight. Store in a well-ventilated place.

CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE Chemical Properties,Usage,Production

Description

Strictly speaking, fluorocarbon compounds contain only the elements carbon, fluorine, and sometimes hydrogen. However, in industrial applications such as refrigerants and aerosol propellants, the term fluorocarbon has been used to include compounds containing chlorine and bromine atoms, or both. These industrial products have somewhat similar chemical and physical properties. Their relatively inert character and wide range of vapor pressures and boiling points make them especially well suited as refrigerants in a variety of applications, blowing agents for plastic foams, and aerosols.

Chemical Properties

Colorless gas; ethereal odor. heavier than air. Nonflammable

Uses

Dielectric and aerospace chemical, hardening of metals, pharmaceutical processing.

Uses

The fluorocarbons covered in this monograph are widely used as refrigerants, polymer intermediates, and blowing agents in the manufacture of polymerized foams used in insulation and comfort cushioning. They are also used for making packaging foams, as well as aerosol propellants for products applied in foam or spray form, and fire extinguishing agents. Special mixtures of two or more fluorocarbons, or fluorocarbons and hydrocarbons, are often used to provide desired special properties in particular refrigeration or aerosol propellant applications.
While Tetrafluoromethane is also used as a low-temperature refrigerant gas, it is also widely used by the electronics industry as a dry etchant in microchip manufacture. It is blended with oxygen and used to desmear and etch-back "through holes" on printed circuit boards.

General Description

CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE is a colorless odorless gas. CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE is shipped as a liquefied gas under its own vapor pressure. CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE is noncombustible. CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE can asphyxiate by the displacement of air. Contact with the liquid can cause frostbite. Exposure of the container to prolonged heat or fire may cause CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE to rupture violently and rocket.

Reactivity Profile

The reaction of aluminum with various halogenated hydrocarbons produces a self-sustaining reaction with sufficient heat to melt aluminum pieces, examples of other halogenated hydrocarbons are fluorotrichloromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, tetrafluoromethane. The vigor of the reaction appears to be dependent on the combined degree of fluorination and the vapor pressure, [Chem. Eng. News 39(27):44(1961)].

Hazard

Toxic by inhalation; slightly irritant.

Health Hazard

Exposure may cause nausea, dizziness, and headache, and rapid suffocation. Contact with skin may cause frostbite.

Fire Hazard

Special Hazards of Combustion Products: Toxic fumes of Cl and F

Materials Uses

The fluorocarbons are generally compatible with most of the common metals except at high temperatures. At elevated temperatures, the following metals resist fluorocarbon corrosion (and are named in decreasing order of their corrosive resistance): Inconel, stainless steel, nickel, steel, and bronze. Water or water vapor in fluorocarbon systems will corrode magnesium alloys or aluminum containing over 2 percent magnesium. These metals are not recommended for use with fluorocarbon systems in which water may be present.

Safety Profile

A mild irritant. Narcotic in high concentrations. Reacts violently with Al. When heated to decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of Fand Cl-.

Physiological effects

The fluorocarbons used in industry generally have low levels of toxicity, and hazards related to their use are minimal. These compounds have been extensively studied by many investigators under a variety of conditions.

storage

Use forced ventilation and local exhaust, or both, to prevent an accumulation of gas that could reduce the oxygen level to below 19.5%. Ensure good floor ventilation. Use a check valve or trap in the discharge line to prevent back flow into the cylinder. Where applicable, use a pressure-reducing regulator when connecting a cylinder to a low-pressure piping system. For flammable fluorocarbons, adherence to pertinent electrical standards is necessary. Personnel should not weld, solder, braze, or have an open flame of any type in atmospheres containing flammable or nonflammable fluorocarbons.

Purification Methods

Main impurities are CO2, O2, and N2. The CO2 is removed by passage through saturated aqueous KOH, followed by conc H2SO4. The O2 is removed using a tower packed with activated copper on Kieselguhr at 200o, and the gas is dried over P2O5. [Miller & Smyth J Am Chem Soc 79 20 1957, Beilstein 1 III 42, 1 IV 34.] TOXIC GAS.

GRADES AVAILABLE

Fluorocarbons are available for commercial and industrial use in various grades with essentially the same composition from one producer to another. Purities of most fluorocarbon products are a minimum of 99 volume percent. For special applications very high purity grades are available.