I I.

HOMOGENEOUS
SYSTEMSAND THE]R PROPERTIES

lative restrictions would be passed.Potential alternative propellants, their properties and uses,are coveredin the secondsection ofthis chapter.

TERMINOLOGY
Fluorocarbons are divided into two groups, depending on their flamrnability.
Nonflammable fluorocarbons marketed by the Du Pont Company are given the
trademark Freon@ to distinguish them from flammable fluorocarbons. The term
"fluorocarbon" (FC) is broadly usedfor all types of organo-fluorinecompounds
employed as propellants regardlessof their flammability or commercial status.
A further refinement of the term fluorocarbon can be made to distinguish
clrlorofluoro0atbons (which contain only carbon, chlorine, and fluorine) from
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (which contain hydrogen in addition to carbon,
chlorine, and fluorine) and hydrofluorocarbons (which contain carbon, hydrogen,and fluorine).
Fluorocarbonsare manufacturedworldwide. Producersand the trade names
oftheir products are listed in Table 3-i.

T H E N U M B E R I N GS Y S T E M
The various fluorocarbon propellants are usually distinguishedonly by a number
after the trade name or term "fluorocarbon," for example,Freon@ 12,FC-LI,
or fluorocarbon 1 14.
The numbering system used for the different fluorinated compounds was developed by the Du Pont Company n 1929 so that the chemical formula of a
fluorocarbon could be determined from the number of the compound alone.
Thus, it is possible to write both the empirical and structural formulas for
fluorocarbons 1 1, 12, ll4, etc., from the numbersof theseproducts. The numbering system can also be applied to hydrocarbonsand chlorinated hydrocarbons. The system was offered to the refrigerationindustry in 1960 to establish
uniformity in numbering refrigerants.aIt is now usedby all U.S. manufacturers
of fluorocarbons and applies to all products-propellants,refrigerants,blowing
agents,and solvents-regardless
of end use.
The formulas of aerosolpropellantscan be written from the propellant numbers by following sevenrules.
Rule 1. The first digit on the right signifiesthe number of fluorine (F) atoms in
the compound.
Rut-s 2. The seconddigit from the right is numericallyone rnore than the number of hydrogen(H) atoms in the compound.