Teflon is the brand name of a compound discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910-1994) of DuPont in 1938 and introduced as a commercial product in 1949.

Teflon is polytetratetrafluoroethene (PTFE).

   F   F
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R - C - C - R
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   F   F

Teflon is also used as the trade name for a polymer with similar properties, perfluoroalkoxy polymer resin (PFA):

   F   F   F   F 
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R - C - C - C - C - R
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   F   F   F   O
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           F - C - F
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               F

Teflon is the plastic with the lowest coefficient of friction. It is also used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. Teflon is very unreactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive chemicals. Its melting point is 327 °C.

Teflon is sometimes said to be a spin-off from the US space program with more down-to-earth applications, even though it was first sold commercially long before in 1946.

Teflon has been supplemented with another DuPont product, Silverstone, a three-coat fluoropolymer system that produces a more durable finish than Teflon. Silverstone was released in 1976.

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