This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Freon is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
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.
Contents |
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.[1] 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.[2] The interim replacements for CFCs are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which contain chlorine that depletes stratospheric ozone, but to a much lesser extent than CFCs.[3] 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.[4] 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
- ^ Inventors accessed December 21, 2007
- ^ "1930: Freon", DuPont Heritage accessed June 25, 2008
- ^ "Ozone Layer Depletion", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accessed June 25, 2008
- ^ "1930: Freon", DuPont Heritage accessed June 25, 2008
See also
- Haloalkane, a group of chemical compounds
- List of refrigerants
 |
This chemistry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 23 September 2008, at 20:46.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Freon".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.