Re: Sulfur Hexafluoride vs "Vikane"

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• Subject: Re: Sulfur Hexafluoride vs "Vikane"
• From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
• Date: Sun, 23 Nov 1997 22:51:42 -0600
• Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	Jim Lux[SMTP:jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent: 	Sunday, November 23, 1997 1:30 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: Sulfur Hexafluoride vs "Vikane"

> 
> I'm no chemist, but the Vikane gas they use to treat for drywood
> termites is sulfuryl fluoride...which "sounds" close enough for me...
> RV

No real relation. Vikane is quite toxic (intentionally). SF6 is non-toxic.
Yes, it breaks down into sulfur and fluorine, which is why it makes a good
insulator. Fluorine is highly electronegative (about as much as you can
get, I think), which makes recombination in the ionized gas faster, which
quenches the arc. The fluorine ions also suppress the emission of electrons
from the cathode of the arc, also leading to killing the arc.

Finally, SF6 is really dense, which alone raises the breakdown voltage. In
general, for gases, the denser, the higher the breakdown voltage.

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