CAS No. 392-56-3

Hexafluorobenzene is an organic, aromatic compound. In this derivative of benzene all hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine atoms. The technical uses of the compound are limited, although it is recommended as a solvent in a number of photochemical reactions. In the laboratory hexafluorobenzene is used as standard in fluorine-19 NMR spectroscopy, solvent and standard in carbon-13 NMR, solvent in proton NMR, solvent when studying some parts in the infrared and solvent in ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, as hexafluorobenzene itself hardly shows any absorbance in the UV region.

Applications

In the laboratory Hexafluorobenzene is used for several purposes:

• standard in fluorine-19 NMR
• solvent and standard in carbon-13 NMR
• solvent in proton NMR
• solvent when studying some parts in the IR spectrum
• solvent in UV spectra, as hexafluorobenzene itself hardly shows any absorbance in the UV region.

Biomedical applications

Hexafluorobenzene has been used as a reporter molecule to investigate tissue oxygenation in vivo. It is exceedingly hydrophobic, but exhibits high gas solubility with ideal liquid gas interactions. Since molecular oxygen is paramagnetic it causes F NMR spin lattice relaxation (R1): specifically a linear dependence R1= a + bpO₂ has been reported. HFB essentially acts as molecular amplifier, since the solubility of oxygen is greater than in water, but thermodynamics require that the pO2 in the HFB rapidly equilibrates with the surrounding medium. HFB has a single narrow F NMR signal and the spin lattice relaxation rate is highly sensitive to changes in pO₂, yet minimally responsive to temperature. HFB is typically injected directly into a tissue and F NMR may be used to measure local oxygenation. It has been extensively applied to examine changes in tumor oxygenation in response to interventions such as breathing hyperoxic gases or as a consequence of vascular disruption. MRI measurements of HFB based on 19F relaxation have been shown to correlate with radiation response of tumors.HFB has been used as a gold standard for investigating other potential prognostic biomarkers of tumor oxygenation such as BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent), TOLD (Tissue Oxygen Level Dependent) and MOXI (MR oximetry) A 2013 review of applications has been published

Toxicity

Hexafluorobenzene may cause eye and skin irritation, respiratory and digestive tract irritation and can cause central nervous system depression per MSDS. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lists it in its Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances as neurotoxicant.