THE USE OF SEMIFLUORINATED ALKANES IN BLOOD-SUBSTITUTES

Semifluorinated alkanes are useful for blood-substitutes in two differ ent ways: as co-surfactant to stabilize emulsions with perfluorocarbon s as oxygen-carrier and as oxygen-carrier instead of perfluorocarbons. Semifluorinated alkanes act as co-surfactants in low concentrations b ecause they are enriched at the interface perfluorodecalin/water. Emul sions with semifluorinated alkanes dissolve about the same amount of o xygen as emulsions with perfluorocarbons. The stability of these emuls ions depends on the nature of the alkyl and the perfluoroalkyl chain. Semifluorinated alkanes do not eliminate hydrogen fluoride under clean -up conditions of perfluorocarbons. According to toxicity tests agains t human carcinoma cells semifluorinated alkanes with alkyl chains are harmless in the examined range from C6 to C-10.