perfluorooctane sulfonate

noun

per·​fluo·​ro·​oc·​tane sulfonate pər-ˌflȯr-ō-ˈäk-ˌtān- 

-ˌflu̇r-

variants or less commonly perfluorooctanesulfonate

: a fluorinated sulfonic acid C₈HF₁₇O₃S that is a member of the PFAS group and that has been used especially for its water and stain resistance : PFOS, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid

Perfluorooctane sulfonate is a chemical long used in Scotchgard stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foam and food packaging made by 3M.

—Michael Hawthorne

… the military is the source of the contamination―largely due to discharges of firefighting foam laden with perfluorooctanesulfonate, or PFOS.

—Alexander C. Kaufman

Examples of perfluorooctane sulfonate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, a joint study in the U.K. and China found that two pervasive PFAS—called perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate—were detected in over 99 percent of bottled water samples from 15 countries globally. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

For months in 2021, nearby residents and business owners relied on bottled water that the U.S. Air Force gave out after water tests found high levels of the contaminants perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. —Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 4 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

perfluorooctanesulfon(ic acid) + -ate entry 1

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above