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Introduction

The fluorine atom is unique among all the atoms of the periodic table. The unique properties of fluorine are due to its unique electron configuration compared to all other atoms.

One of the most useful forms of fluorine are as fluorocarbons - molecules where fluorine is directly bonded directly to carbon. Fluorine, when bonded to carbon, forms a very strong, highly polarized bond. In this bond, carbon is partially positive and fluorine is partially negative (typical dipole moment of around 1.4 D).

Of the fluorocarbons, the perfluorocarbon (a molecule in which most or all hydrogens attached to carbon have been replaced by fluorine) displays the most extreme behaviors. All the local dipole moments within the same perfluorocarbon molecule cancel each other out. As a result, perfluorocarbons are very non-polarizable, meaning that it is very difficult for other molecules or energy to interact with them. Compounds in this category exhibit extreme, and sometimes bizarre properties like hydrophobicity (water-hating), oleophobicity (oil-hating), extreme chemical resistance, UV resistance, and very low heat capacity.

Production of perfluorocarbon chemicals, first commercially synthesized in the 1930s, continues to grow to this day. They have permeated our everyday lives in such products as non-stick cookware kitchen, fuel resistant hoses and gaskets in our cars, stain repellent coatings on our clothes and carpets, computer chip manufacturing for our computers, coolants in our air conditioners and refrigerators, fluorosurfactants in our paints and fire-fighting foams, and many, many others.

Fluorinated chemicals are used in many industries, including:

1. Surface treatment materials
2. Polymers
3. Specialty solvents
4. Monomers
5. Cosmetic materials
6. Reagents
7. Functional material intermediates
8. Electronic materials
9. Pharmaceutical intermediates
10. Agrochemical intermediates

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