1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane

1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, also called trichlorotrifluoroethane or CFC-113, is a chlorofluorocarbon. It has the formula Cl2FC-CClF2. This colorless, volatile liquid is a versatile solvent. It has attracted much attention for its role in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. The amount of CFC-113 in the atmosphere has remained at about 80 parts per trillion, since the early 1990s. It is isomeric with 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, known as CFC-113a, which has the structural formula CF3-CCl3. The Montreal Protocol in 1987 called for the phase out of all CFCs, including CFC-113, by 2010. 1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, also called trichlorotrifluoroethane or CFC-113, is a chlorofluorocarbon. It has the formula Cl2FC-CClF2. This colorless, volatile liquid is a versatile solvent. It has attracted much attention for its role in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. The amount of CFC-113 in the atmosphere has remained at about 80 parts per trillion, since the early 1990s. It is isomeric with 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, known as CFC-113a, which has the structural formula CF3-CCl3. The Montreal Protocol in 1987 called for the phase out of all CFCs, including CFC-113, by 2010. CFC-113 is a very unreactive chlorofluorocarbon. It remains in the atmosphere about 90 years, sufficiently long that it will cycle out of the troposphere and into the stratosphere. In the stratosphere, CFC-113 can be broken up by ultraviolet radiation (where sunlight in the 190-225 nm (UV) range), generating chlorine radicals (Cl•), which initiate degradation of ozone requiring only a few minutes: