1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane is a

haloalkane The haloalkanes (also known as halogenoalkanes or alkyl halides) are alkanes containing one or more halogen substituents of hydrogen atom. They are a subset of the general class of halocarbons, although the distinction is not often made. Haloalka ...

with the formula . It is one of the three

isomers In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the existence or possibili ...

of dichlorofluoroethane. It belongs to the

hydrochlorofluorocarbon Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, ...

(HCFC) family of man-made compounds that contribute significantly to both

ozone depletion Ozone depletion consists of two related events observed since the late 1970s: a lowered total amount of ozone in Earth, Earth's upper atmosphere, and a much larger springtime decrease in stratospheric ozone (the ozone layer) around Earth's polar ...

and

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

when released into the environment.

Physiochemical properties

1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane can be a non-flammable, colourless liquid under room-temperature atmospheric conditions. The compound is very volatile with a boiling point of 32°C. Its critical temperature is near 204°C. Its smell has been described as "usually ethereal" (like

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...

Production and use

1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane is mainly used as a

solvent A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...

and foam blowing agent under the names R-141b and HCFC-141b. It is a class 2 ozone depleting substance undergoing a global phaseout from production and use under the

Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 ...

since the late 1990s. It is being replaced by HFCs within some applications.

Environmental effects

The concentration of HCFC-141b in the atmosphere grew to near 25 parts per trillion by year 2016. It has an

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) of 0.12. This is low compared to the ODP=1 of

trichlorofluoromethane Trichlorofluoromethane, also called freon-11, CFC-11, or R-11, is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). It is a colorless, faintly ethereal, and sweetish-smelling liquid that boils around room temperature. CFC-11 is a Class 1 ozone-depleting substance w ...

(CFC-11, R-11), which also grew about ten times more abundant in the atmosphere prior to introduction of HFC-141b and subsequent adoption of the Montreal Protocol. HFC-141b is also a minor but potent

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

. It has an estimated lifetime of about 10 years and a 100-year

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 ( ...

ranging 725 to 2500. This compares to the GWP=1 of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

, which had a much greater atmospheric concentration near 400 parts per million in year 2020.

References

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Halogenated solvents Ozone-depleting chemical substances Refrigerants Greenhouse gases Chlorofluoroalkanes {{organohalide-stub

Physiochemical properties

Production and use

Environmental effects

See also

References