Skip to main content

Atmospheric Chemistry

T.J. Wallington, M.D. Hurley, J.C. Ball, E.W. Kaiser, "Atmospheric chemistry of hydro-fluorocarbon 134a: Fate of the alkoxy radical CF3CFHO," Environmental Science & Technology, 26:1318-24, 1992. Tim Wallington (Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich.): "Recognition of the adverse impact of chlorofluoro-carbons (CFCs) on stratospheric ozone has prompted an international effort to replace CFCs with environmentally acceptable alternatives. Hy

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00

Tim Wallington (Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich.): "Recognition of the adverse impact of chlorofluoro-carbons (CFCs) on stratospheric ozone has prompted an international effort to replace CFCs with environmentally acceptable alternatives. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are an important class of CFC replacements. HFC-134a (CF3CFH2) is a replacement for CFC-12 (CF2Cl2) in domestic refrigeration and automobile air conditioning units. Investment in HFC- 134a is on the order of a billion dollars! "Prior to the large-scale industrial use of HFC-134a, the environmental impact of its release into the atmosphere needs consideration. HFC-134a does not contain chlorine and so has no ozone-depletion potential associated with the well-established chlorine catalytic cycles. However, there has been speculation that CF3 radicals (formed during the atmospheric degradation of HFC-134a) could impact stratospheric ozone. To define the environmental impact of HFC-134a requires assessment of its ability to impact stratospheric ozone, contribute to potential global warming, and produce noxious degradation products. This ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member?
Add The Scientist as a preferred source on Google

Add The Scientist as a preferred Google source to see more of our trusted coverage.

Published In

Related articles background image
August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

View this Issue
Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems
Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Optimizing NGS Library Preparation for Reliable Sequencing Data

Covaris
Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Using TCR Repertoire Sequencing to Advance Immunology Research

Miltenyi
Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

Mapping Clonal Mosaicism in Aging Tissues

Mission bio

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches SuperNuclease ® Pro with Free Trial Program

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches Precisely Characterized Full-Length p-Tau217 Protein to Advance Next-Generation Alzheimer’s Biomarker Assay Development

A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Lucid Scientific logo
Conceptual image of ice and frost.

The VAULT100 PRO: Inside the most advanced Stirling Ultracold ULT freezer ever built.

Stirling Ultracold logo