1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane can be a non-flammable, colourless liquid under room-temperature atmospheric conditions. The compound is very volatile with a boiling point of 32°C.[1][2] Its critical temperature is near 204°C.[3] Its smell has been described as "usually ethereal" (like ether).
Production and use
1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane is mainly used as a solvent and foam blowing agent under the names R-141b and HCFC-141b. It is a class 2 ozone depleting substance undergoing a global phaseout from production and use under the Montreal Protocol since the late 1990s. It is being replaced by HFCs within some applications.[4]
The concentration of HCFC-141b in the atmosphere grew to near 25 parts per trillion by year 2016.[5] It has an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of 0.12.[6] This is low compared to the ODP=1 of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11, R-11), which also grew about ten times more abundant in the atmosphere prior to introduction of HFC-141b and subsequent adoption of the Montreal Protocol.
HFC-141b is also a minor but potent greenhouse gas. It has an estimated lifetime of about 10 years and a 100-year global warming potential ranging 725 to 2500.[7][8] This compares to the GWP=1 of carbon dioxide, which had a much greater atmospheric concentration near 400 parts per million in year 2020.
