Sulfur hexafluoride

In electrical circuit interrupters, in electronic ultra-high frequency piping.

Sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless, nontoxic, nonflammable gas that has a high dielectric strength and serves widely as an insulating gas in electrical equipment. At atmospheric pressures it sublimes directly from the solid to the gas phase and does not have a stable liquid phase unless under a pressure of more than 32 psia (221 kPa, abs). It is shipped as a liquefied compressed gas at its vapor pressure of 298 psig at 70°F (2050 kPa at 21.1 0C).One of the most chemically inert gases known, it is completely stable in the presence of most materials to temperatures of about 400°F (204°C) and has shown no breakdown or reaction in quartz at 900°F (482°C). Sulfur hexafluoride is slightly soluble in water and oil. No change in pH occurs when distilled water is saturated with sulfur hexafluoride.