-2+Teflon+=+Jonathan+Webb

Teflon was discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals. Teflon is polymerized tetrafluoroethylene. It is used commonly in household cooking products because of its high melting point, low friction and is hydrophobic.


 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/PTFE-3D-vdW.png width="400" height="219" caption="PTFE Molecule"]] || [[image:http://elproyectomatriz.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/teflon-dupont.jpg caption="Teflon Branded Logo"]] ||

Teflon's chemical name is Polytetraflouroethylene ( PTFE ) was found by accident when attempting to find a new refrigerant gas. The result was polymerized tetrafluoroethylene. Basically the fluorine encompasses the carbon making it very nonreactive. PTFE is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water and/or water containing substances. This added with the fact that it has a very low coefficient of friction it becomes a excellent substance for coating cookware. It also has a very high melting point.

Some safety concerns have been raised but because of its chemical compound it doesn't degrade until it has gone through extensive use so most concerns are negligible.

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