Frying a potato chip in Fluorinert FC-40

2012-06-25

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I recently bought some Fluorinert FC-40 on eBay since it is such an intriguing chemical. This fluid is 1.8 times as dense as water, but has almost the same viscosity. It is also very inert, has a boiling point of 160*C, is immiscible with water, and has exceptionally low electrical conductivity. The fluid can dissolve large amounts of gas and was shown in the movie The Abyss where it allowed a rat (and later a human via special effects!) to breath the oxygenated fluid, by submerging the rat in a container of Fluorinert and having the rat take the fluid into its lungs.

I decided to fry a potato chip in the fluid to see if I could make a truly fat-free deep-fried chip. The experiment worked very well, however I am not convinced that eating the product would be a good idea. Your thoughts?