Octafluoropropane

Octafluoropropane (C₃F₈) is a non-flammable greenhouse gas that is produced as a by-product of circuit board production. It has featured in some plans for terraforming Mars.

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Applications

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

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

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

Liquid phase

• Liquid density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 1601 kg/m³
• Liquid/gas equivalent (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 196 vol/vol

• Latent heat of vaporization (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 104.25 kJ/kg

Gaseous phase

• Gas density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 10.3 kg/m³
• Gas density (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 8.17 kg/m³
• Compressibility Factor (Z) (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 0.975
• Specific gravity (air = 1) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 6.683
• Specific volume (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 0.125 m³/kg
• Viscosity (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 0.000125 Poise
• Thermal conductivity (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 12.728 mW/(m·K)
• Thermal Conductivity, Gas @ 101.325 kPa and 25 °C: 13.8 mW/(m·K)
• Vapour Pressure @ 21.1 °C: 792 kPa

Major hazards

• Non-toxic
• Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP): 0.000