The prediction of environmental fate for trifluoromethyl sulfur pentafluoride (SF5CF3), a potent greenhouse gas

Trifluoromethyl sulfur pentafluoride (SF5CF3) which is a newly discovered compound in the troposphere and chemically similar to SF6, has been listed as a potent greenhouse gas because of its high global warming potential close to 20,000 and its long lifetime of about 800 years in the atmosphere. From the environmental and ecological points of view, it is urgent to understand the environmental fate of this unique material, including octanol-water partition coefficient (K-OW), water solubility (S) and Henry's law constant (K-H). This article aimed at introducing the greenhouse gas with strong radiative force in its physiochemical properties and potential uses, and predicting its environmental fate on the basis of available methods. The predicted value of log K-OW, which was obtained to be about 2.42 at 298.15 K, revealed that it tends to be hydrophobic and partitioned into organic matter, or lipids (fatty tissue). From the predicted values of S and KH, it was further showed that SF5CF3 has exceptionally low solubility in water and extremely high vaporization from the water bodies. These predicted distribution properties have led to the suggestion that it will sink into the atmosphere if it is released into the environment. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.