Home > Community > How does the use of inert gas in fluorination of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons make it less violent?
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Katarina Janoskova

How does the use of inert gas in fluorination of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons make it less violent?

Dolores C Aquino  Follow

Let's say the gas mixture has something like 10:1 molecules ratio of inert gas : fluorine. The alkanes in the gas would have 10 times more chance of colliding with an inert gas molecule as compared to a fluorine molecule. This reduces the rate at which alkanes and fluorine react together, making the reaction a lot safer (fluorination is highly exothermic to the point where it can be explosive).

The inert gases are basically a necessity, without which it's impossible to do this reaction safely and responsibly.

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Gerry Spencer  Follow
The keyword here is dilution ;)More
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John McGarry  Follow
Damn @Martin you answered that question with one word!More
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