Perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), also referred to as FC43, is an organic compound with the chemical formulaN(CF2CF2CF2CF3)3. It is a colorless liquid. A molecule of this chemical compound consists of three butyl groups connected to one nitrogenatom, in which all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced with fluorine atoms. The compound is produced for the electronics industry, along with other perfluoroalkylamines. The high degree of fluorination significantly reduces the basicity of the central amine due to electron-withdrawing effects.[1]
The compound has two commercial uses.
It is used as an ingredient in Fluosol, artificial blood. This application exploits the high solubility of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the solvent, as well as the low viscosity and toxicity.[3] It is also a component of Fluorinert coolant liquids. CPUs of some computers are immersed in this liquid to facilitate cooling.[2]
Niche
The compound is used as a calibrant[4] in gas chromatography when the analytical technique uses mass spectrometry as a detector to identify and quantify chemical compounds in gases or liquids. When undergoing ionization in the mass spectrometer, the compound decomposes in a repeatable pattern to form fragments of specific masses, which can be used to tune the mass response and accuracy of the mass spectrometer. Most commonly used ions are those with approximate mass of 69, 131, 219, 414 and 502 atomic mass units.
Safety
Fluorofluids are generally of very low toxicity, so much that they have been evaluated as synthetic blood.[2]
Environmental impact
It is a greenhouse gas with warming properties more than 7,000 times that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period,[5][6] and, as such, is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses ever discovered.[7] Its concentration in the atmosphere is approximately 0.18 parts per trillion. The compound can persist in the atmosphere for up to 500 years. Sulfur hexafluoride, however, has a GWP of 23,900,[8] which would make it much more powerful.
^Garrelts, J. C. (1990). "Fluosol: An oxygen-delivery fluid for use in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty". DICP: The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 24 (11): 1105–1112. doi:10.1177/106002809002401116. PMID2275237. S2CID38969204.
^Dunnivant, Frank and Ginsbach, Jake. "Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography, Capillary Electrophoresis – Mass Spectroscopy – A Basic Introduction", Chapter 7, ISBN978-0-9882761-0-9, [1]., Nov. 2012.
^Hong, A. C.; Young, C. J.; Hurley, M. D.; Wallington, T. J.; Mabury, S. A. (2013). "Perfluorotributylamine: A novel long-lived greenhouse gas". Geophysical Research Letters. 40 (22): 6010–6015. Bibcode:2013GeoRL..40.6010H. doi:10.1002/2013GL058010. S2CID130690897.
