A Little Chemistry: The Reaction of Chlorotrifluoromethane and Ozone

In my last blog, I explained why Ozone shouldn't just randomly decompose at high rates. Sure, natural pollutants are a problem, but there is a better explanation: People. The largest problem, as I see it, would have been Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The massive word in the title is the chemical name for CClF₃. This is essentially Freon. In this blog I will explain how CFCs came about and what they do to Ozone. Global Warming doesn't exist.

A Brief History of Chlorofluorocarbons

In the year 2000, J.R.McNeill wrote that Thomas Midgley Jr "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in earth history." LINK

Among various other problematic solutions offered by Midgley was the use of CFCs to replace dangerous, and often explosive, chemicals used in heat pumps, refrigerators, etc. Midgley also suggested leaded fuel to prevent engine knock (this later caused him to acquire lead poisoning, go figure).

Midgley was rather excited about his discovery, going so far as to demonstrate it by inhaling large amounts of concentrated Freon while holding a lit match to prove that not only was it non-toxic, it wasn't explosive. Imagine being able to go home and know that your refrigerator wasn't going to explode and kill you that night! What made Chlorofluorocarbons so exciting is that they're completely inert at 1.00 atm and 25^o C. Not only was Freon not going to react, it wasn't going to burn or suffocate you!

However, what wasn't tested before its widespread use (in everything from refrigerators and heat pumps to aerosol cans and deodorant) were the chemical properties as it rose into the atmosphere with decreased pressure and increased UV radiation (γ = Gamma Radiation, or UV radiation for our purposes).

The Problem

The problem with Freon lies in its uncanny ability to split when hit with lots of UV radiation. As the UV radiation hits Freon, it kicks off the Cl atom. This Cl atom is very dangerous (and unhappy...poor halogen!) to the ozone. As it floats around, it will bond with a molecule of O₃ (Ozone, if you were paying attention). This breaks apart into diatomic oxygen (O₂) and ClO (Hypochlorite). The Hypochlorite then attracts another molecule of Ozone, they react and form Cl and 2O₂. The Cl molecule then continues the cycle, increasing in concentration as the CFCs in the atmosphere break apart.

As you can tell, this isn't exactly what we want to happen. The CFCs cause damage that not even the spontaneous generation of Ozone can fix (as a lot of this generation fixes damage caused by spontaneous decomposition, natural pollutants, etc.).

Luckily enough, the Montreal Protocol has put a complete ban on CFC use and CFC production will cease to be a problem in the year 2010.

Due to concerns about its ozone-depleting potential, the consumption of chlorotrifluoromethane is continuously decreasing; the production would be stopped in 2010. LINK

Now, keep in mind that this is a VERY simplified and generalized (I used Freon-13 because I like the formula and name; there are others) concept. People spend entire lifetimes dedicated to the specifics here; I broke it down so that anyone could understand and regurgitate it.

And I'm merely suggesting that this was a bad move on mankind’s part, not that Global Warming exists. So long as Douche Bag claims it does, I promise to stand by my aforementioned convictions.