Perfluorohexane

Perfluorohexane or tetradecafluorohexane, is a perfluorocarbon. It is a derivative of hexane in which all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms. Its chemical formula is C6F14. It is used in one formulation of the electronic cooling liquid/insulator Fluorinert for low temperature applications due to its low boiling point of 56ºC and melting point of -90 °C. It is odorless and colorless.

It is one of the Fluorinert brand solvents/coolants. It is used as a solvent and coolant. In medical imaging it is used as a contrast agent.

Perfluorohexane is considered biologically and chemically inert. It is unusual in that perfluorohexane absorbs oxygen from the air to a higher concentration than is found in normal air. This means that animals can be submerged in a bath of perfluorohexane without drowning, as there is sufficient oxygen available in the solvent to allow respiration to continue. This has led to the experimental use of perfluorohexane in treating burns victims, as their lungs can be filled with either perfluorohexane vapor or in extreme cases liquid perfluorohexane, allowing breathing to continue without the problems normally seen with pulmonary edema that sometimes occur when the inside of the lungs have been burnt e.g. by inhalation of hot smoke.