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perfluorooctanoic acid
Sign in to saveAlso known as perfluoroheptanecarboxylic acid, perfluorocaprylic acid, pentadecafluoro-n-octanoic acid, pentadecafluoro-1-octanoic acid, 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, perfluoro-n-octanoic acid, perfluorooctylcarboxylic acid
chemical compound
Chemical data
- Formula
- C8HF15O2
- Molecular weight
- 414.07 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluorooctanoic acid
- SMILES
- C(=O)(C(C(C(C(C(C(C(F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)(F)F)O
- InChIKey
- SNGREZUHAYWORS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 4.9
- Polar surface area
- 37.3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 1
- H-bond acceptors
- 17
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
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Encyclopedic overview
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, from its chemical formula C8HF15O2) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes and as a chemical precursor. PFOA is considered a surfactant, or fluorosurfactant, due to its chemical structure, which consists of a perfluorinated, n-heptyl "tail group" and a carboxylic acid "head group". The head group can be described as hydrophilic while the fluorocarbon tail is both hydrophobic and lipophobic.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified PFOA as carcinogenic to humans. PFOA is one of many synthetic organofluorine compounds collectively known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Many PFAS such as PFOS, PFOA are a concern because they do not break down via natural processes and are commonly described as persistent organic pollutants or "forever chemicals". They can also move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources and can build up (bioaccumulate) in fish and wildlife. Residues have been detected in humans and wildlife.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “perfluorooctanoic acid” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.