perfluoroalkanesulfonic
pur-flor-oh-AL-kayn-sul-FON-ik
Definition
A specific class of chemical compounds belonging to the PFAS family that features a chain of carbon atoms bonded to fluorine, characterized by a sulfonic acid group.
Etymology
This is a technical chemical compound name constructed from 'per-' (meaning thoroughly or completely), 'fluoro-' (referring to fluorine), 'alkane' (referring to a saturated hydrocarbon chain), and 'sulfonic acid' (referring to a specific sulfur-containing functional group).
In the news
The article uses the term to identify a specific type of forever chemical compound that researchers found in environmental samples, which likely originated from distant industrial sources rather than local sea spray.
Risk of Exposure to Forever Chemicals Through Sea Spray May Be Overblown
Read the full article ↗Technology Networks