| Application | Perfluorohexane
uses and applications include: dispersant for lubricants, mold release
agents, protective coatings; reaction media for polymerizations,
purification, separation processes; solvent for removal of halogenated
lubricants, oils, greases; carrier for halogenated material; for
quick-cooling or freezing foods; heat-transfer fluid.
Because it is biologically inert and chemically stable, perfluorohexane
has attracted attention in medicine. Like other fluorocarbons,
perfluorohexane dissolves gases, including oxygen from the air, to a
higher concentration than ordinary organic solvents. This effect is
attributed to the weak intermolecular forces between perfluorohexane
molecules, which allows "space" for gas molecules to partition into the
liquid. Animals can be submerged in a bath of perfluorohexane without
drowning, as there is sufficient oxygen available in the solvent to
allow respiration to continue. This effect has led to the experimental
use of perfluorohexane in treating burn victims, as their lungs can be
filled with either perfluorohexane vapor or in extreme cases liquid
perfluorohexane, allowing breathing to continue without the problems
normally seen with pulmonary edema that sometimes occur when the inside
of the lungs have been burnt e.g. by inhalation of hot smoke. |
China
