Monkey puppet meme looking away. Europeans watching the US weaken food and safety regulations.
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[โ€“] -2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

A minimum of 2 fully fluorinated carbon atoms instead of 1 is NOT broadening the definition. Thatโ€™s narrowing it.

Think of the definition as a sluice gate. When you allow more things through, you're opening it wider, therefore broadening the definition. I know it's counter-intuitive sometimes to think of it like that. Narrowing the definition would be to let fewer things through, thus closing the gate.

Edit: Reading through the discourse below, I think I see the points made. It might should be reversed.

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 9 months ago

    Allowing more things through, if I understand your analogy correctly in this case, is broadening the exceptions -- things not matched by the definition.

    But, I'll bite, let's dive in. In a Venn diagram, substances with a minimum of 2 fully fluorinated carbon atoms is a subset of substances with a minimum of 1fully fluorinated carbon atoms, yes? Similarly, M&Ms with only red and green colors is a subset of M&Ms of any color, yes? If a person was to change their personal definition of acceptable M&Ms from any color to only red and/or green, would you call that broadening that definition?

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 9 months ago

    The EPA definition would exclude chemicals like trifluoroethanol, so the EPA's definition is narrower, not broader.

    From a strict organic chemistry perspective, trifluoroethanol contains a perfluorinated methyl group, and methyl is a type of alkyl, therefore it must be considered a PerFluoro Alkyl Substance.

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