23 Trichlorofluoromethane Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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Trichlorofluoromethane (CFCl3) is a colorless, sweet-smelling liquid that has boiling point around room temperature at 27˚C. Let us learn about its uses in this article.

Also known as CFC-11 or freon-11, it finds multiple applications in the industry. Its uses are listed below:

  • Refrigerant
  • Solvent
  • Foam-blowing agent
  • Propellant gas
  • Maintenance
  • Organic synthesis

Refrigerant

  • CFCl3 is mainly used as a refrigerant. Its code is R-11.
  • CFCl3 is preferred over other compounds as refrigerants due to its inert and non-flammable characteristics.
  • CFCl3 is used in systems operating at low pressures due to its high boiling point compared to other refrigerants.
  • CFCl3 is used as a refrigerant in air conditioners and centrifugal chillers.

Solvent

  • CFCl3 is an important solvent in industry.
  • CFCl3 solution is used as an NMR reference solvent for fluorine-19 detection.
  • CHCl3 is used as a solvent and an important ingredient in fire extinguishers.
  • CFCl3 is used a solvent to extract volatile flavor compounds from alcoholic beverages.

Foam blowing agent

  • CFCl3 is used as a foam-blowing agent in plastics for insulations.
  • CFCl3 is used in polyurethane and polyisocyanurate as the gas for forming foams.

Propellant gas

  • CFCl3 is used in aerosol spray cans as a propellant, as this gas can be easily compressed into a liquid.
  • CFCl3 is used as the propellant in over half of the aerosol cans in the world.

Maintenance

  • CFCl3 is also used as a cleaning or rinsing agent
  • CFCl3 is used as an anti-static spray cleaning agent on fabrics.
  • CFCl3 is used as a cleaning agent in electronic appliances like printer toner, electronic microcircuits, etc.
  • CFCl3 is used as a photograph film cleaner.
  • CFCl3 is used as a degreaser to remove grease and hydrophobic compounds from hard surfaces.
  • CFCl3 is used as a sealant to seal and fill cracks on hard surfaces in households.
  • CFCl3 is used as a pesticide for plants.
  • CFCl3 is used in manufactured formulations like coatings, adhesives, oils, etc.

Organic synthesis

  • CFCl3 is an important reagent in organic synthesis.
  • CFCl3 has uses in the organic synthesis of dichlorofluoromethyl carbinol by reacting with electrophilic ketones.
  • CFCl3 can be reacted with diaryl sulfides to produce corresponding thioethers.

Conclusion

CFCl3 is a colorless, sweet-smelling gas. It has many applications, but due to its adverse effects on ozone, its use has come down a lot. In this article, we have learned some of its uses.