{ "vercy": "1.0-draft", "publication": { "status": "research-draft", "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed", "publishableCanonical": false, "generatedAt": "2026-09-12T12:00:16Z", "providers": [ "Codex" ], "breadth": "recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read", "missingProviders": [], "pass": 2, "cost": { "grok": { "seconds": 17.7, "error": "Reading additional input from stdin...\nOpenAI Codex v0.153.4\n--------\nworkdir: R:\\02_PROJECTS\\02_Meta_Models_Platforms\\Ver.cy\\current\\thing-registry-backlog\nmodel: gpt-6-astra\nprovider: openai\napproval: never\nsandbox: read-only\nreasoning effort: none\nreasoning summaries: none\nsession id: 01a0957c-0d7c-7431-9da2-d1389e5ff576\n--------\nuser\nDescribe what is already known about one registered thing. Answer as JSON only, no prose around it.\n\nThing: perfluorobutanoic acid\nSense to describe: (none recorded)\nDomain code: PHY.MAT\nAlso known as: (none)\n\n\nContext for this batch of 1001 things:\n# Batch 04", "usd": 0.0, "recall": true }, "codex": { "seconds": 85.9, "error": "Reading additional input from stdin...\nOpenAI Codex v0.153.4\n--------\nworkdir: R:\\02_PROJECTS\\02_Meta_Models_Platforms\\Ver.cy\\current\\thing-registry-backlog\nmodel: gpt-6-astra\nprovider: openai\napproval: never\nsandbox: read-only\nreasoning effort: none\nreasoning summaries: none\nsession id: 01a0957c-0d7e-74f0-9f64-a7e37ccccbee\n--------\nuser\nYou are drafting a Vercy meta-model for one registered thing. Answer as JSON only, no prose around it.\n\nThing: perfluorobutanoic acid\nRegistry id: vr.tr.perfluorobutanoic-acid\nPlane / domain: PHY / PHY.MAT\nRegistry definition: (none recorded)\nNames folded into" } }, "enrichment": { "pass": 3, "engine": "claude", "producedAt": "2026-10-06T12:00:00Z", "ingestedAt": "2026-10-06T08:51:39+00:00", "fields": [ "agent_conduct", "ethics", "failure_modes_and_hazards", "owners", "standards_and_regulation" ] }, "gate": { "passed": true, "version": "1.0", "at": "2026-10-07T10:10:31+00:00", "evidence": [ "completeness 1.00", "sense: Wikidata description", "2 live sources", "review by codex: pass" ] } }, "metaModel": { "id": "THING-Q5732020", "registryId": "vr.tr.perfluorobutanoic-acid", "name": "perfluorobutanoic acid", "version": "0.1.0-research.1", "entryKind": "thing", "family": "Thing Registry", "domain": [ "PHY.MAT" ], "status": "research-draft" }, "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q5732020/", "model": { "registry_id": "vr.tr.perfluorobutanoic-acid", "name": "perfluorobutanoic acid", "purpose": "Enable an agent to recognise perfluorobutanoic acid, assess the identity and condition of a specific material or measurement, and determine which handling, analysis and environmental decisions its evidence supports.", "definition": "Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) is the four-carbon perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid CF3CF2CF2COOH, a short-chain member of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) class.", "scope_statement": "This model owns vr.tr.perfluorobutanoic-acid within PHY / PHY.MAT: the chemical identity of PFBA, its material grades, condition-dependent properties, analytical identity, environmental behaviour and substance-specific decision constraints, with explicit links to its conjugate base and salts.", "in_scope": [ "PFBA molecular identity, synonyms and identifiers", "Free-acid purity, impurities, formulation and physical condition", "Acid-base speciation and the reporting relationship to perfluorobutanoate", "PFBA-specific analytical measurements and their quality", "Environmental occurrence, transport and treatment evidence", "Substance-specific hazard evidence and applicable regulatory identity" ], "out_of_scope": [ "Independent identities and complete specifications of perfluorobutanoate salts", "Products, formulations and equipment containing PFBA as complete objects", "Manufacturing processes and precursor substances as independent models", "Other PFAS, including perfluorobutanesulfonic acid and longer-chain carboxylic acids", "Complete contaminated-site, treatment-system or human-exposure models" ], "distinguishing_features": [ "The neutral acid has formula C4HF7O2 and connectivity CF3-CF2-CF2-COOH; identification must establish both composition and connectivity. Reference: [PubChem CID 9777](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Perfluorobutyric-acid).", "PFBA has four total carbons, including the carboxyl carbon; record this separately from its three-carbon perfluoroalkyl segment to prevent chain-length ambiguity.", "Its carboxylic acid group distinguishes it from the similarly abbreviated perfluorobutanesulfonic acid, PFBS.", "Free PFBA must be distinguished from the perfluorobutanoate anion and counterion-bearing salts, even when an analytical result expresses them as acid equivalents.", "CAS 375-22-4 identifies the acid; a matching abbreviation alone is insufficient to identify a supplied material. Reference: [EPA PFBA assessment](https://iris.epa.gov/ChemicalLanding/%26substance_nmbr%3D701)." ], "characteristics": [ { "name": "Chemical identity", "kind": "category", "unit_or_values": "PFBA; perfluorobutyric acid; heptafluorobutyric acid; C4HF7O2; CAS 375-22-4; PubChem CID 9777", "why_it_matters": "Connects synonyms to a defined structure and prevents substitution of another PFAS." }, { "name": "Material form", "kind": "category", "unit_or_values": "Neat free acid, acid solution, environmental analyte or related salt requiring a separate identity link", "why_it_matters": "Determines which purity, physical-property and handling evidence applies." }, { "name": "PFBA content and reporting basis", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Mass fraction %, mol/L, mg/L, ng/L or ng/g; specify free acid, anion or acid-equivalent basis", "why_it_matters": "Prevents invalid comparisons between a material assay and trace environmental concentrations." }, { "name": "Water and impurity profile", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Water mass fraction; identified impurities in mass %, mg/kg or another stated basis", "why_it_matters": "Supports grade selection and detects contamination by other fluorinated substances." }, { "name": "Physical state and transition properties", "kind": "state", "unit_or_values": "Observed phase at temperature in °C and pressure in kPa; melting and boiling points with purity and measurement method", "why_it_matters": "Keeps neat-acid properties separate from solution behaviour and unqualified catalogue values." }, { "name": "Acid-base condition", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "pH, pKa and estimated neutral/anion fractions with solvent, temperature and evidential basis", "why_it_matters": "Supports interpretation of transport, partitioning and analytical recovery." }, { "name": "Analytical confidence", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Method, detection and quantification limits, recovery %, uncertainty and blank concentration", "why_it_matters": "Distinguishes confirmed PFBA measurements from contamination, interference and non-detects." }, { "name": "Environmental partitioning", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Solubility in g/L, distribution coefficient in L/kg and transport observations with matrix and conditions", "why_it_matters": "Grounds movement and retention decisions in PFBA-specific evidence." }, { "name": "Hazard and regulatory applicability", "kind": "relation", "unit_or_values": "Link to dated SDS, classification, assessment or legal instrument; specify jurisdiction, material form and use", "why_it_matters": "Prevents a class-wide statement or advisory value from being treated as an applicable legal limit." } ], "affordances": [ "Resolve a substance name or supplier record to PFBA and flag conflicting structures or identifiers.", "Evaluate whether a PFBA batch or reference solution meets a stated analytical or process requirement.", "Compare concentrations after checking chemical form, units and acid-equivalent conversions.", "Select and evaluate a matrix-appropriate PFBA measurement using documented quality controls.", "Assess PFBA transport and treatment claims against condition-specific measurements.", "Identify evidence-supported handling and disposal constraints for the actual material and jurisdiction." ], "agent_conduct": { "may": [ "Explain what PFBA is, where it is found and its regulatory status from official sources.", "Report measured levels in water or soil from accredited laboratories with method and date.", "Track stock and waste in a laboratory the agent is authorized to manage." ], "must_not": [ "Present PFBA as harmless because it is short-chain without evidence.", "Help hide or understate PFAS contamination at a site.", "Advise disposal of PFAS waste into drains, soil or ordinary waste.", "Alarm people with unsupported claims about health effects at measured levels." ], "requires_human": [ "Public statements or decisions about contaminated drinking water." ] }, "ethics": { "considerations": [ "PFAS persist for very long periods and can spread through water supplies.", "Communities near contamination deserve accurate and timely information." ], "affected_parties": [ "Communities near contaminated sites", "Water users", "Workers handling PFAS" ] }, "owners": { "steward": "The holder or emitter, under the duties set by chemical and environmental law.", "master_systems": [ "Chemical inventories and safety data sheet systems", "Environmental monitoring databases" ] }, "failure_modes_and_hazards": [ "Highly persistent in water and hard to remove by ordinary treatment.", "Corrosive to skin and eyes in concentrated form." ], "standards_and_regulation": [ "Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), United Nations." ], "what_it_is_for": [ "Perfluorobutanoic acid is encountered in research chemicals, analytical reference materials and environmental investigations of fluorinated substances.", "Laboratories measure it in samples such as water and soil to investigate contamination and environmental transport." ], "visual_identification": [ "A container label naming perfluorobutanoic acid and giving the formula C4HF7O2 supports identification but does not verify its contents.", "The abbreviation PFBA on a sample label must be checked against the full chemical name to distinguish the acid from related salts or analytical reporting categories.", "Appearance alone cannot distinguish this substance from other visually similar chemicals." ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "wikidata", "title": "Wikidata item Q5732020: perfluorobutanoic acid", "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5732020", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "identity and sense of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api" }, { "id": "wikipedia-en", "title": "Wikipedia: Perfluorobutanoic acid", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorobutanoic_acid", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "general description of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api sitelink" } ], "structure": { "bundles": [ { "id": "pfba-identity-and-boundaries", "name": "PFBA identity and boundaries", "description": "Establish the acid identity and its relationships to nearby fluorinated substances.", "rationale": "PFBA abbreviations, chain-length conventions and salt reporting can conceal chemically different entities.", "layers": [ { "id": "molecular-recognition", "name": "Molecular recognition", "description": "Resolve names and registry records to the specified molecular structure.", "findings": [ { "id": "structure-and-identifiers", "name": "Structure and identifiers", "description": "Require structural agreement behind PFBA names and identifiers.", "questions": [ { "text": "Does the record identify CF3-CF2-CF2-COOH, and do its CAS, PubChem and EC identifiers resolve to that same free acid?", "kind": "definition", "id": "structure-and-identifiers-q01" }, { "text": "Which authoritative record or certificate supports the identity, and when was it checked?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "structure-and-identifiers-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "related-species-boundaries", "name": "Related species boundaries", "description": "Keep homologues, conjugate base and salts distinguishable.", "findings": [ { "id": "acid-anion-and-homologues", "name": "Acid, anion and homologues", "description": "Record how a material or measurement relates to the free acid without merging distinct identities.", "questions": [ { "text": "Is the identified entity neutral PFBA, perfluorobutanoate or a named salt with a specified counterion?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "acid-anion-and-homologues-q01" }, { "text": "Does the evidence distinguish PFBA from PFBS and adjacent perfluoroalkyl carboxylic-acid homologues?", "kind": "definition", "id": "acid-anion-and-homologues-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "pfba-material-and-speciation", "name": "PFBA material and speciation", "description": "Describe the actual grade, formulation and conditions under which PFBA properties are being used.", "rationale": "A neat acid, calibration solution and aqueous environmental analyte require different interpretations.", "layers": [ { "id": "batch-composition", "name": "Batch composition", "description": "Establish assay, solvent, water and impurities for the material being considered.", "findings": [ { "id": "grade-and-assay-basis", "name": "Grade and assay basis", "description": "Connect PFBA content to a batch-specific and method-specific statement.", "questions": [ { "text": "What are the PFBA assay, solvent composition, water content and quantified fluorinated impurities?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "grade-and-assay-basis-q01" }, { "text": "Which batch certificate supports these values, and does the assay describe mass fraction or chromatographic area fraction?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "grade-and-assay-basis-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "condition-dependent-properties", "name": "Condition-dependent properties", "description": "Associate phase and speciation with measured conditions.", "findings": [ { "id": "phase-and-ionisation", "name": "Phase and ionisation", "description": "Separate observations of the free acid from solution properties and calculated speciation.", "questions": [ { "text": "What phase, melting point or boiling point is supported at the stated pressure, composition and purity?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "phase-and-ionisation-q01" }, { "text": "What pH, solvent and temperature apply, and what evidence supports the pKa or neutral-to-anion estimate used?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "phase-and-ionisation-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "pfba-analytical-evidence", "name": "PFBA analytical evidence", "description": "Make PFBA identification and quantification interpretable across material and environmental samples.", "rationale": "A reported PFBA concentration is actionable only when selectivity, contamination controls and reporting basis are known.", "layers": [ { "id": "analyte-confirmation", "name": "Analyte confirmation", "description": "Establish that the analytical signal supports PFBA in the stated matrix.", "findings": [ { "id": "method-selectivity", "name": "Method selectivity", "description": "Connect identification to validated method criteria and an appropriate standard.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which method measures PFBA in this matrix, and what retention-time and mass-spectral criteria confirm identity?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "method-selectivity-q01" }, { "text": "Which reference standard and internal standard support identification and recovery, and are their certificates traceable?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "method-selectivity-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "result-usability", "name": "Result usability", "description": "Determine whether the reported amount supports the intended comparison or decision.", "findings": [ { "id": "quantification-and-reporting", "name": "Quantification and reporting", "description": "Preserve blanks, recovery, uncertainty and chemical-form conventions alongside the result.", "questions": [ { "text": "What do field and laboratory blanks, matrix recovery, quantification limits and uncertainty establish about the result?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "quantification-and-reporting-q01" }, { "text": "Is the amount reported as PFBA acid equivalents, anion mass or salt mass, and are wet/dry and volume bases explicit?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "quantification-and-reporting-q02" }, { "text": "Does the result support the intended threshold comparison, or is confirmation or a lower reporting limit required?", "kind": "action", "id": "quantification-and-reporting-q03" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "pfba-environmental-fate", "name": "PFBA environmental fate", "description": "Represent PFBA occurrence, movement and treatment outcomes without importing assumptions from other PFAS.", "rationale": "Chain length, speciation and matrix conditions must remain visible when evaluating transport or removal.", "layers": [ { "id": "occurrence-and-transport", "name": "Occurrence and transport", "description": "Connect measured PFBA to its environmental setting and possible inputs.", "findings": [ { "id": "source-and-mobility-evidence", "name": "Source and mobility evidence", "description": "Distinguish detected presence, demonstrated transport and inferred origin.", "questions": [ { "text": "What observations distinguish direct PFBA release from formation through transformation of identified precursors?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "source-and-mobility-evidence-q01" }, { "text": "Which PFBA-specific transport or partitioning measurements apply to the matrix, pH and water chemistry under consideration?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "source-and-mobility-evidence-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "treatment-and-transformation", "name": "Treatment and transformation", "description": "Evaluate where PFBA goes during treatment and what transformation evidence demonstrates.", "findings": [ { "id": "removal-versus-destruction", "name": "Removal versus destruction", "description": "Track PFBA transfer and transformation separately when judging treatment performance.", "questions": [ { "text": "What influent, effluent and residual measurements establish PFBA removal under the tested operating conditions?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "removal-versus-destruction-q01" }, { "text": "Does the evidence demonstrate transfer, molecular transformation or mineralisation, and what fluorine balance or product analysis supports that distinction?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "removal-versus-destruction-q02" }, { "text": "What PFBA-containing residuals remain, and which documented management route applies to them?", "kind": "action", "id": "removal-versus-destruction-q03" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "pfba-hazards-and-decisions", "name": "PFBA hazards and decisions", "description": "Tie material handling and exposure decisions to PFBA-specific evidence and applicable requirements.", "rationale": "Evidence concerning concentrated acid, dissolved PFBA and related salts cannot be applied interchangeably without checking its scope.", "layers": [ { "id": "hazard-evidence", "name": "Hazard evidence", "description": "Record the tested form, exposure route and limitations behind hazard statements.", "findings": [ { "id": "form-specific-hazard", "name": "Form-specific hazard", "description": "Separate supplied-material hazards from dose-based toxicological assessments; the EPA assessment explicitly covers PFBA and related salts. Reference: [EPA assessment announcement](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-publishes-iris-handbook-and-final-iris-assessment-perfluorobutanoic-acid-pfba-and).", "questions": [ { "text": "Which current SDS establishes classification and handling requirements for the actual PFBA concentration and formulation?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "form-specific-hazard-q01" }, { "text": "Which PFBA or related-salt studies support the endpoint and exposure route being assessed, and what uncertainty limits their application?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "form-specific-hazard-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "applicable-controls", "name": "Applicable controls", "description": "Determine which requirements govern a proposed PFBA use, release or disposal decision.", "findings": [ { "id": "jurisdiction-and-action", "name": "Jurisdiction and action", "description": "Distinguish legal requirements, advisory values and internal criteria by their stated scope and date.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which dated jurisdiction-specific instruments cover this PFBA identity, use or waste stream, and are their values mandatory or advisory?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "jurisdiction-and-action-q01" }, { "text": "What handling, containment and disposal actions follow from the verified material hazards and applicable requirements?", "kind": "action", "id": "jurisdiction-and-action-q02" }, { "text": "Is a cited exposure limit PFBA-specific, group-based or absent from the consulted authority, and does it cover the relevant route?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "jurisdiction-and-action-q03" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "evidence-and-external-alignment", "name": "Evidence and external alignment", "description": "What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.", "rationale": "A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.", "layers": [ { "id": "reported-evidence", "name": "Reported evidence", "description": "Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.", "findings": [ { "id": "evidence-confidence-notes", "name": "Check these first", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "This is a recall-based description; no sources were consulted.", "Verify physical constants, purity-dependent properties and supplier hazard classifications before practical use.", "Check current jurisdiction-specific PFAS rules, exposure limits and analytical method coverage; none are asserted here." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-confidence-notes-q01", "text": "Which of these check these first hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-identifiers", "name": "Identifiers and schemes", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ { "scheme": "CAS Registry Number", "value_or_pattern": "375-22-4", "note": "Identifies the free acid; its salts have separate chemical identities." }, { "scheme": "Molecular formula", "value_or_pattern": "C4HF7O2", "note": "Formula of the neutral acid." }, { "scheme": "Systematic chemical name", "value_or_pattern": "2,2,3,3,4,4,4-Heptafluorobutanoic acid", "note": "Also commonly called heptafluorobutyric acid." } ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-identifiers-q01", "text": "Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-real-world-use", "name": "Real-world use", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "Analytical reference standard for measuring PFBA in environmental samples.", "Research on short-chain PFAS transport, treatment and environmental fate." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-real-world-use-q01", "text": "Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-measurements", "name": "Typical measurements", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ { "quantity": "Molar mass", "typical_range": "214.04", "unit": "g/mol" } ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-measurements-q01", "text": "Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards", "name": "Failure modes and hazards", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "Environmental persistence makes releases difficult to reverse.", "Its conjugate base is mobile in water, allowing contamination to migrate through aquatic systems.", "Removal methods effective for longer-chain PFAS can perform poorly for PFBA." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01", "text": "Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-neighbours", "name": "Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ { "name": "Perfluorobutanoate", "difference": "The deprotonated conjugate base, C4F7O2−, rather than the neutral acid; it predominates in ordinary environmental waters." }, { "name": "Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid", "difference": "Has a sulfonic acid functional group rather than a carboxylic acid functional group." }, { "name": "Butanoic acid", "difference": "Has a hydrocarbon chain; PFBA replaces all seven carbon-bound hydrogens with fluorine." }, { "name": "Perfluoropentanoic acid", "difference": "Has five total carbon atoms rather than four." } ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-neighbours-q01", "text": "Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of perfluorobutanoic acid this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] } ] } ] }, "openQuestions": [ "Which authoritative EC identity and structure identifiers should be retained for the free acid, and how should salt records be linked without merging their identities?", "Which experimental melting, boiling, solubility and dissociation values are sufficiently documented to prefer over estimates or inconsistent supplier values?", "Which analytical methods and reference materials are validated for the intended matrices, and what PFBA contamination and recovery limitations remain?", "Which PFBA-specific evidence establishes transport, precursor formation and treatment destruction under the intended environmental conditions?", "Which current classifications, exposure criteria and disposal requirements apply in the intended jurisdiction, and where is the evidence insufficient for a decision?" ], "statistics": { "bundles": 6, "layers": 11, "findings": 16, "questions": 29 } }