Octafluoropropane

Octafluoropropane
Names
	Preferred IUPAC name Octafluoropropane
	Other names Freon 218; Perfluoropropane; RC 218, PFC 218; R-218; Flutec PP30; Genetron 218
Identifiers
CAS Number	76-19-7 ;
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image ;
ChEBI	CHEBI:31980 ;
ChEMBL	ChEMBL1663 ;
ChemSpider	6192 ;
DrugBank	DB00556 ;
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.857
KEGG	D01738 ;
PubChem CID	6432 ;
RTECS number	TZ5255000;
UNII	CK0N3WH0SR ;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID9052503 ;
	InChI InChI=1S/C3F8/c4-1(5,2(6,7)8)3(9,10)11 Key: QYSGYZVSCZSLHT-UHFFFAOYSA-N ; InChI=1/C3F8/c4-1(5,2(6,7)8)3(9,10)11 Key: QYSGYZVSCZSLHT-UHFFFAOYAL;
	SMILES FC(F)(F)C(F)(F)C(F)(F)F;
Properties
Chemical formula	C3F8
Molar mass	188.020 g·mol−1
Appearance	Colorless gas
Density	8.17 g/L
Melting point	−147.6 °C (−233.7 °F; 125.5 K)
Boiling point	−36.7 °C (−34.1 °F; 236.5 K)
Critical point (T, P)	345.05 K (71.90 °C), 26.8 bar
Vapor pressure	792 kPa (21.1 °C)
Thermal conductivity	13.8 mW/(m·K)
Viscosity	0.000125 Poise (0 °C)
Structure
Dipole moment	0.014 D
Thermochemistry
Heat capacity (C)	149 J/(mol·K)
Hazards
	Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	Simple asphyxiant and greenhouse gas
	GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Hazard statements	H280
Precautionary statements	P410+P403
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	1 0 0 SA
Flash point	N/A
Related compounds
Related halocarbons	Tetrafluoromethane ; Hexafluoroethane
Related compounds	Propane
Supplementary data page
	Octafluoropropane (data page)
	Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). verify (what is ?) Infobox references

Last updated July 30, 2025

Octafluoropropane (C₃F₈) is the perfluorocarbon counterpart to the hydrocarbon propane. This non-flammable and non-toxic synthetic substance has applications in semiconductor production and medicine. It is also an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

Manufacture

Octafluoropropane can be produced either by electrochemical fluorination or by the Fowler process using cobalt fluoride.^[2]

Applications

In the electronics industry, octafluoropropane is mixed with oxygen and used as a plasma etching material for SiO₂ layers in semiconductor applications, as oxides are selectively etched versus their metal substrates.^[3]

In medicine, octafluoropropane may compose the gas cores of microbubble contrast agents used in contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Octafluoropropane microbubbles reflect sound waves well and are used to improve the ultrasound signal backscatter.

It is used in eye surgery, such as pars plana vitrectomy procedures where a retina hole or tear is repaired. The gas provides a long-term tamponade, or plug, of a retinal hole or tear and allows re-attachment of the retina to occur over the several days following the procedure.

Under the name R-218, octafluoropropane is used in other industries as a component of refrigeration mixtures.

It has been featured in some plans for terraforming Mars. With a greenhouse gas effect 24,000 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO₂), octafluoropropane could dramatically reduce the time and resources it takes to terraform Mars.^[4]

It is the active liquid in the detectors used in the PICO dark matter search experiment, including the under-construction PICO-500 detector.

Gallery

PFC-218 measured by the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) at stations around the world. Abundances are given as pollution free monthly mean mole fractions in parts-per-trillion.

References

1 2 3 "Encyclopédie des gaz". air liquide. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
↑ Fowler RD, Buford III WB, Hamilton Jr JM, Sweet RG, Weber CE, Kasper JS, Litant I (1947). "Synthesis of Fluorocarbons". Ind. Eng. Chem. 39 (3): 292–298. doi:10.1021/ie50447a612.
↑ Coburn, J. W. (1982). "Plasma-assisted etching". Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing. 2 (1): 1–41. doi:10.1007/BF00566856. S2CID 95361338.
↑ D. Rogers (17–21 October 2005). Studies in the Future of Experimental Terraforming (PDF). 56th International Astronautical Congress of the International Astronautical Federation. Fukuoka, Japan: International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

External links

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[enzy-1] 1 2 3 "Encyclopédie des gaz". air liquide. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-22.

[2] Fowler RD, Buford III WB, Hamilton Jr JM, Sweet RG, Weber CE, Kasper JS, Litant I (1947). "Synthesis of Fluorocarbons". Ind. Eng. Chem. 39 (3): 292–298. doi:10.1021/ie50447a612.

[3] Coburn, J. W. (1982). "Plasma-assisted etching". Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing. 2 (1): 1–41. doi:10.1007/BF00566856. S2CID 95361338.

[4] D. Rogers (17–21 October 2005). Studies in the Future of Experimental Terraforming (PDF). 56th International Astronautical Congress of the International Astronautical Federation. Fukuoka, Japan: International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

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