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Freon is DuPont
DuPont

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company is an United States chemical industry that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuth?re Ir?n?e du Pont....
's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerant
Refrigerant

A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat engine that undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid and back. The two main uses of refrigerants are refrigerators/freezers and air conditioners ....
s, which are used in air conditioning
Air conditioning

An air conditioner is an appliance, system, or Mechanism designed to extract heat from an area via a refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system of heating, Ventilation , and air conditioning is referred to as "HVAC." Its purpose, in a building or an automobile, is to provide comfort during either hot or cold...
, refrigeration
Refrigeration

Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable....
 and some automatic fire-fighting systems. It is one of a class of chemicals called Haloalkane
Haloalkane

The haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds, consisting of alkanes, such as methane or ethane, with one or more halogens linked, such as chlorine or fluorine, making them a type of organic halide....
s; Freon and similar refrigerants have been controversial due to environmental and safety concerns. Inhalation of relatively low concentrations of Freon is unlikely to cause major health problems, but higher concentrations can displace enough oxygen to cause asphyxiation.

n was initially developed in the early 20th century as an alternative to the toxic gases that were previously used as refrigerants, such as ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
, chloromethane
Chloromethane

Chloromethane, also called Methyl chloride, R-40 or HCC 40, is a chemical compound of the group of organic compounds called haloalkanes. It was once widely used as a refrigeration....
, and sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
.






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Freon is DuPont
DuPont

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company is an United States chemical industry that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuth?re Ir?n?e du Pont....
's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerant
Refrigerant

A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat engine that undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid and back. The two main uses of refrigerants are refrigerators/freezers and air conditioners ....
s, which are used in air conditioning
Air conditioning

An air conditioner is an appliance, system, or Mechanism designed to extract heat from an area via a refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system of heating, Ventilation , and air conditioning is referred to as "HVAC." Its purpose, in a building or an automobile, is to provide comfort during either hot or cold...
, refrigeration
Refrigeration

Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable....
 and some automatic fire-fighting systems. It is one of a class of chemicals called Haloalkane
Haloalkane

The haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds, consisting of alkanes, such as methane or ethane, with one or more halogens linked, such as chlorine or fluorine, making them a type of organic halide....
s; Freon and similar refrigerants have been controversial due to environmental and safety concerns. Inhalation of relatively low concentrations of Freon is unlikely to cause major health problems, but higher concentrations can displace enough oxygen to cause asphyxiation.

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
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
, chloromethane
Chloromethane

Chloromethane, also called Methyl chloride, R-40 or HCC 40, is a chemical compound of the group of organic compounds called haloalkanes. It was once widely used as a refrigeration....
, and sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula SO2. It is produced by volcanoes and in various industrial processes. Since coal and petroleum often contain sulfur compounds, their combustion generates sulfur dioxide....
. Freon, in this case dichlorodifluoromethane, was invented by Thomas Midgley, Jr.
Thomas Midgley, Jr.

Thomas Midgley, Jr. , was an United States mechanical engineering turned chemist. He developed both the tetra-ethyl lead additive to gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons , and held over a hundred patents....
 with co-inventor Charles Kettering
Charles Kettering

Charles Franklin Kettering was an American inventor and the holder of over 300 patents. He was a founder of Delco Electronics, and was head of research for General Motors for 27 years from 1920 to 1947....
. Each Freon product is designated by a number; for instance, Freon-11 is trichlorofluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane

Trichlorofluoromethane, also called freon-11, CFC-11, or R-11, is a chlorofluorocarbon. It is a colorless, nearly odorless liquid that boils at about room temperature....
, while Freon-12 is dichlorodifluoromethane
Dichlorodifluoromethane

Dichlorodifluoromethane , usually sold under the brand name Freon-12, is a chlorofluorocarbon halomethane, commonly known as CFC, used as a refrigerant and aerosol spray#Propellant....
.

DuPont began to phase out its production of Freon CFCs in the 1980s after federal regulatory agencies banned their use because they harm the Earth's ozone layer
Ozone layer

The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 93-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth....
.

In the 1990s, most uses of Freon chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were phased out.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion....
 classifies Freon-11 and Freon-12 as Annex A substances and bans their production and consumption as of 1996.

The interim replacements for CFCs are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which contain chlorine that depletes stratospheric ozone, but to a much lesser extent than CFCs. Ultimately, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) will replace HCFCs with essentially no ozone destruction (although all three groups of halocarbons are powerful greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gas

Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that Absorption and Emission radiation within the Infrared#Different regions in the infrared range....
). DuPont began producing hydrofluorocarbons as alternatives to Freon in the 1980s. These included Suva refrigerants and Dymel propellants. Any of these gases that are used as refrigerants are designated by an "R-" number
List of refrigerants

Chemical refrigerants are assigned an R number which is determined systematically according to molecular structure. The following is a list of refrigerants with their ASHRAE designated numbers, chemical nomenclature, molecular formula, and CAS number....
 and colloquially
Genericized trademark

A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquialism or generic description for a general class of Good or Service , rather than the specific meaning intended by the trademark's holder....
 known as "Freon", whether they are made by DuPont or another supplier.

On November 8, 2008, 20 people died and 21 were injured when suffocated by Freon Gas (used in fire suppressant system) on board the Russian
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
 K-152 Nerpa
Russian submarine K-152 Nerpa

The K-152 Nerpa is a Project 971 Shchuka-B type Nuclear submarine attack submarine. Construction was started in 1993, but suspended due to lack of funding....
 when the vessel's extinguishing systems unexpectedly activated during trials.

See also

  • Haloalkane
    Haloalkane

    The haloalkanes are a group of chemical compounds, consisting of alkanes, such as methane or ethane, with one or more halogens linked, such as chlorine or fluorine, making them a type of organic halide....
    , a group of chemical compounds
  • List of refrigerants
    List of refrigerants

    Chemical refrigerants are assigned an R number which is determined systematically according to molecular structure. The following is a list of refrigerants with their ASHRAE designated numbers, chemical nomenclature, molecular formula, and CAS number....
  • Montreal Protocol
    Montreal Protocol

    The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion....