Thermal decomposition of halon alternatives

2H-Heptafluoropropane, trifluormodomethane, trifluorobromomethane, perfluorotriethylamine, N,N-bis(tri-fluoromethyl)2H-tetrafluoroethylamme, N,N-bis(trifluoromethyl)2-bromotetrafluoroethylamine, pertluorodimethylvinylamine, and perfluoro-N-ethylpyrrolidine were pyrolyzed in order to evaluate their thermal behavior in fire fighting. Fluorinated compounds containing iodine or bromine atoms decomposed easier than perfluoro compounds containing none of them. There seemed not to be any differences of thermal stability between perfluorotnalkylamines and perfluormated hydrocarbons. A large amount of hydrogen fluoride was produced from any fluorinated compounds by pyrolysis. Also, thermal decomposition of fluorinated nitrogen-containing compounds generated high concentration of nitrogen oxides. Organic products of thermal decomposition were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main products from 2H-heptafluoropropane and perfluoro-triethylamine were identified to be perfluoroisobutane and perfluorinated N-ethylpyrrolidine, respectively.