Freon

Freon

Freon is DuPont's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

History

Freon was initially developed in the early 20th century as an alternative to the toxic gases that were previously used as refrigerants, such as ammonia, chloromethane, and sulfur dioxide. Freon, in this case dichlorodifluoromethane, was invented by Thomas Midgley, Jr. with co-inventor Charles Kettering. [ [http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfreon.htm Inventors] accessed December 21, 2007] Each Freon product is designated by a number; for instance, Freon-11 is trichlorofluoromethane, while Freon-12 is dichlorodifluoromethane.

Controversy

In the 1990s, most uses of Freon chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were phased out due to the negative effects that CFCs have on the Earth's ozone layer. DuPont began to phase out its production of Freon CFCs in the 1980s after federal regulatory agencies banned their use. [ [http://heritage.dupont.com/touchpoints/tp_1930-3/depth.shtml "1930: Freon", "DuPont Heritage"] accessed June 25, 2008] The interim replacements for CFCs are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which contain chlorine that depletes stratospheric ozone, but to a much lesser extent than CFCs. [ [http://www.epa.gov/ozone/defns.html "Ozone Layer Depletion", "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency"] accessed June 25, 2008] Ultimately, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) will replace HCFCs with essentially no ozone destruction, yet they are classed as greenhouse gases. DuPont began producing hydrofluorocarbons as alternatives to Freon in the 1980s. These included Suva refrigerants and Dymel propellants. [ [http://heritage.dupont.com/touchpoints/tp_1930-3/depth.shtml "1930: Freon", "DuPont Heritage"] accessed June 25, 2008] Any of these gases that are used as refrigerants are designated by an "R-" number and colloquially known as "Freon", whether they are made by DuPont or another supplier.

Footnotes

ee also

*Haloalkane, a group of chemical compounds
*List of refrigerants


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • fréon — fréon …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • fréon — [ freɔ̃ ] n. m. • 1947; n. déposé, du rad. de froid, d apr. néon, argon ♦ Fluide frigorifique; gaz propulseur d aérosols. ⇒ chlorofluorocarbone. Les fréons pourraient jouer un rôle dans la destruction de la couche d ozone. Turbine à fréon. ●… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • freon — FREÓN, freoni, s.m. (chim.) Compus organic al fluorului utilizat în special ca agent frigorific. [pr.: fre on] – Din fr. fréon. Trimis de zaraza joe, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  freón s. m., pl. freóni Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţio …   Dicționar Român

  • Freon — Fréon Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Le fréon est le nom commercial d un gaz réfrigérant. Freon est le pseudonyme de Roc Chaliand, un compositeur parisien de musique électronique Fréon… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Freón — es una marca de refrigerantes de DuPont. Estos refrigerantes están compuestos por clorofluorocarbonos (CFC), productos dañinos para el ozono, dado el efecto de que al elevarse los CFC a la capa de ozono lo descomponen. Es común referirse (aunque… …   Wikipedia Español

  • freón — sustantivo masculino 1. (no contable) Área: química Cualquier gas o líquido no inflamable que contenga flúor: Los refrigeradores y los extintores llevan algún freón …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • freón — (Del ingl. freon, marca reg.). m. Gas o líquido no inflamable que contiene flúor, empleado especialmente como refrigerante …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Freon® — /frēˈon/ noun Any of the family of chemicals containing fluorine, used as refrigerants, etc Freon 12ˈ noun Dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl2F2), formerly widely used in household refrigerators …   Useful english dictionary

  • Freon-12 — Freon 12ˈ noun Dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl2F2), formerly widely used in household refrigerators • • • Main Entry: ↑Freon® …   Useful english dictionary

  • Freon® — Freon®,   Handelsname für eine Gruppe von Fluorchlorkohlenwasserstoffen, die als Sicherheitskältemittel verwendet werden …   Universal-Lexikon

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