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Who discovered fluorine-containing refrigerants for household refrigerators?
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halogen
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements.
The American engineer and chemist Thomas Midgley, Jr. is credited with the discovery of fluorine-containing refrigerants for household use in 1930.12
Tasked with finding a refrigerant that was nontoxic, nonflammable, and odourless, Midgley identified dichlorodifluoromethane as an effective solution within three days. This compound, along with others in the group, was subsequently commercialized under the trademark Freon. These substances replaced earlier, more hazardous refrigerants like ammonia, which posed risks of unpleasant odours and toxicity in the event of a leak.231