Rise of Fluorocarbons

In the course of the electrolytic preparation of beryllium from molten KHF2/ BeF2, in 1926, Paul Lebeau (1858-1959) and his collaborator Damien were able to purify and isolate tetrafluoromethane, CF4, by fractional distillation with a liquid air-cooled condenser. They observed vigorous combustion reactions of CF4 with both sodium and calcium [27]. 

From a BIOS report, it is known that successive chlorination and fluorination of Cerisin, a hydrocarbon wax frequently used in Germany, was applied before the war to obtain chemically highly resistive waxes with 57wt% chlorine and 20wt% fluorine for chemical engineering purposes [35]. 

1) Combined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee (CIOS), British Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee (BIOS), Field 

Information Agency Technical (FIAT) are allied post-war reports on German Science and Industry. 

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