Question

These are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine that have created a hole in the ozone

Question 1 options:

smog


acid rain


chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)


EPA

Answer 1

Hello! The nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine that have created a hole in the ozone layer are the Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

These are compounds developed and improved by Thomas Midgley in the late 1920s. They were used as refrigerants and aerosol propellants.

These compounds created a hole in the ozone layer by the following reactions:

CCl₃F → CCl₂F· + Cl· (In the presence of light. Radical Reaction)
Cl· + O₃ → ClO + O₂
ClO + O₃ → Cl· + O₂

The last 2 reactions can repeat in a radical mechanism and explain why these compounds are so harmful to the ozone layer.