Supercritical carbon dioxide (s) is a fluid state of carbon dioxide where it is held at or above its critical temperature and critical pressure. Carbon dioxide usually behaves as a gas in air at standard temperature and pressure (STP), or as a solid called dry ice when cooled and/or pressurised sufficiently. If the temperature and pressure are both increased from STP to be at or above the critical point for carbon dioxide, it can adopt properties midway between a gas and a liquid. More specifically, it behaves as a supercritical fluid above its critical temperature () and critical pressure (), expanding to fill its container like a gas but with a density like that of a liquid. Supercritical is becoming an important commercial and industrial solvent due to its role in chemical extraction in addition to its relatively low toxicity and environmental impact. The relatively low temperature of the process and the stability of also allows most compounds to be extracted with little damage or denaturing. In addition, the solubility of many extracted compounds in varies with pressure, permitting selective extractions. Applications Solvent Carbon dioxide is gaining popularity among coffee manufacturers looking to move away from classic decaffeinating solvents. s is forced through the green coffee beans which are then sprayed with water at high pressure to remove the caffeine. The caffeine can then be isolated for resale (e.g. to the pharmaceutical or beverage manufacturers) by passing the water through activated charcoal filters or by distillation, crystallization or reverse osmosis. Supercritical carbon dioxide is used to remove organochloride pesticides and metals from agricultural crops without adulterating the desired constituents from the plant matter in the herbal supplement industry. Supercritical carbon dioxide can be used as a more environmentally friendly solvent for dry cleaning over traditional solvents such as chlorocarbons, including perchloroethylene. Supercritical carbon dioxide is used as the extraction solvent for creation of essential oils and other herbal distillates. Its main advantages over solvents such as hexane and acetone in this process are that it is non-flammable and does not leave toxic residue. Furthermore, separation of the reaction components from the starting material is much simpler than with traditional organic solvents. The can evaporate into the air or be recycled by condensation into a cold recovery vessel. Its advantage over steam distillation is that it operates at a lower temperature, which can separate the plant waxes from the oils. In