Nowadays, we rely on our air conditioning systems during all seasons. These devices have become so essential that it can make one wonder how did people use to live earlier. Air conditioner not only cool our environment but there are also some additional and impressive features in them. According to the American Chemical Society, the secret of air conditioning lies in the chemistry of the refrigerants. There is a physical law which takes the liquid and converts it into gas which absorbs the heat. This is called phase conversion.
Air conditioning uses this feature by forcing chemical compounds to go through a repeated process of evaporation and condensation in a closed system of coils. All these compounds that are used are called refrigerants. When hot air flows over the cold system of coils, the refrigerants inside absorb the heat, and it changes the state from liquid to gas. The air conditioner converts the refrigerant compounds back into liquid form, and the extra heat is thrown outside the room. The cycle continues ad infinitum to give the fresh cool breeze experience.
The chemical composition of current refrigerant compounds is very different as compared to what they were a few decades ago. The environmental concerns led to an international treaty agreement such as the Montreal Protocol which banned the older refrigerant components. Chlorine atoms were explicitly targeted since they have the potential to damage the Earth’s essential ozone layer severely. The new refrigerants used these days are very environmentally friendly and let the user breathe easy and breathe fresh.