Chlorofluorocarbon

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propane.

The most common example is dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12). R-12 is also commonly called Freon and was used as a refrigerant. Many CFCs have been widely used as refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), gaseous fire suppression systems, and solvents. As a result of CFCs contributing to ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere, the manufacture of such compounds has been phased out under the Montreal Protocol, and they are being replaced with other products such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs)^[1] including R-410A, R-134a and R-1234yf.^[2]^[3]^[4]

^ "Climate Change". The White House. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^ Mironov, O. G. (1968). "Hydrocarbon pollution of the sea and its influence on marine organisms". Helgoländer Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen. 17 (1–4): 335–339. Bibcode:1968HWM....17..335M. doi:10.1007/BF01611234.
^ Darby, Megan (19 August 2014). "Ozone layer treaty could tackle super polluting HFCs". rtcc.org. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
^ "Hydrofluoroolefins". GAB Neumann GmbH. Retrieved 12 December 2023.