Perfluoropentane (PFP) or dodecafluoropentane; also known as Perflenapent ( INN/ USAN) is a

fluorocarbon Fluorocarbons are chemical compounds with carbon-fluorine bonds. Compounds that contain many C-F bonds often has distinctive properties, e.g., enhanced stability, volatility, and hydrophobicity. Fluorocarbons and their derivatives are commerci ...

, the fluorinated analogue of

pentane Pentane is an organic compound with the formula C5H12—that is, an alkane with five carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of three structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, pentane means exclusively the ' ...

. It is a liquid that boils at slightly over room temperature. It has several biomedical applications including: propellant for pressurized metered dose inhalers; gas core in

microbubble Microbubbles (MBs) are bubbles smaller than one hundredth of a millimetre in diameter, but larger than one micrometre. They have widespread application in industry, life science, and medicine. The composition of the bubble shell and filling materia ...

ultrasound contrast agents Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies f ...

; and

occlusion therapy Occlusion may refer to: Health and fitness * Occlusion (dentistry), the manner in which the upper and lower teeth come together when the mouth is closed * Occlusion miliaria, a skin condition * Occlusive dressing, an air- and water-tight traum ...

via the conversion of nanometer liquid droplets into micrometer sized gas microbubbles (

acoustic droplet vaporization Acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) is the process by which superheated liquid droplets are phase-transitioned into gas bubbles by means of ultrasound. Perfluorocarbons and halocarbons are often used for the dispersed medium, which forms the co ...

).D. Bardin, T. D. Martz, P. S. Sheeran, R. Shih, P. A. Dayton, and A. P. Lee, “High-speed, clinical-scale microfluidic generation of stable phase-change droplets for gas embolotherapy,” Lab on a Chip, vol. 11, no. 23, p. 3990, 2011.

References

Perfluoroalkanes Ultrasound contrast agents {{pharmacology-stub