1,1,1-Trifluoroethane, or R-143a or simply trifluoroethane, is a
hydrofluorocarbon
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are man-made 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 conditi ...
(HFC) compound that is a colorless gas. It should not be confused with the much more commonly used HFC gas
R-134a
1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (also known as norflurane (INN), R-134a, Freon 134a, Forane 134a, Genetron 134a, Green Gas, Florasol 134a, Suva 134a, or HFC-134a) is a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and haloalkane refrigerant with thermodynamic properties si ...
, nor confused with the
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers.
Iso ...
ic compound 1,1,2-trifluoroethane. 1,1,1-Trifluoroethane has a
critical temperature
Critical or Critically may refer to:
*Critical, or critical but stable, medical states
**Critical, or intensive care medicine
*Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences.
*Critical Software, a company specializing in ...
of 73 °C.
Applications
Trifluoroethane is used as a
refrigerant
A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the heat pump and refrigeration cycle, refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Ref ...
either by itself or more commonly as a component of blended mixtures. It is also used as a propellant in
canned air
A gas duster, also known as canned air or compressed air, is a product used for cleaning or dusting electronic equipment and other sensitive devices that cannot be cleaned using Water#Washing, water.
This type of product is most often packaged ...
products used to clean electronic equipment.
Environmental effects
Unlike
CFCs
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propan ...
used as refrigerants, trifluoroethane has no chlorine atoms and therefore is not
ozone-depleting. Its high chemical stability and
infra-red
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
absorbency make it a potent
greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs and Emission (electromagnetic radiation), emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse ...
with a
lifetime of about 50 years and a
global warming potential
Global warming potential (GWP) is the heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide (). GWP is 1 for . For other gases it depends on the gas and the time f ...
of 4300, which are at the high end compared to many other commonly used HFC refrigerants.
Its abundance in the atmosphere more than doubled from about 10 parts per trillion (ppt) in 2010 to near 25 ppt in 2020.
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See also
*List of refrigerants
This is a list of refrigerants, sorted by their ASHRAE-designated numbers, commonly known as R numbers. Many modern refrigerants are man-made halogenated gases, especially fluorinated gases and chlorinated gases, that are frequently referred to a ...
*IPCC list of greenhouse gases
This is a list of the most influential long-lived, well-mixed greenhouse gases, along with their tropospheric concentrations and direct radiative forcings, as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Abundances of thes ...
*inhalants
Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. They ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trifluoroethane, 1, 1, 1-
Fluoroalkanes
Refrigerants