Environmental Concerns of Organohalogen Use (OCR A Level Chemistry)

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Philippa Platt

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Breakdown of the Ozone Layer

Fluorohalogenoalkanes

  • The most common halogenoalkanes are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
  • These compounds contain carbon atoms with chlorine and fluorine atoms attached to them
    • E.g. CCl3F and CCl2F2

  • CFCs have many uses due to their chemical inertness as they are non-flammable and non-toxic
    • They are used as refrigerators
    • Propellants for aerosols
    • As solvents for dry cleaning

Hydrofluorocarbons

  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are compounds that contain a carbon attached to hydrogen and fluorine atoms only
    • E.g. CH2F-CF3

  • As with CFCs, HFCs are chemically inert and are therefore used for a wide range of purposes
  • Though chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have many beneficial uses, they also have devastating effects on the ozone layer:
    • CFCs absorb a lot of UV radiation in the upper atmosphere
    • The CFCs are then broken down by the UV light causing the formation of chlorine radicals
    • These radicals react with ozone and break down the ozone layer as shown:

Chlorine radicals and the ozone layer 

  • This is why hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are often used as an alternative to CFCs
  • As these compounds don’t contain any chlorine atoms, they will not have adverse effects on the ozone layer

Examiner Tip

  • There is another set of accepted propagation steps for the breakdown of ozone by chlorine radicals:
    • Propagation 1: Cl + O3 → Cl + O2 
    • Propagation 2: ClO + O → Cl + O2 
  • The difference is actually in the second propagation step where this version reacts with a lone oxygen atom rather than another ozone molecule

Other radicals

  • CFCs are not the only radicals that catalyse the breakdown of the ozone
  • One of the other sets of radicals linked to ozone breakdown are the nitrogen oxide radicals which can be formed:
    • Naturally during lightning strikes
    • As a result of air travel in the stratosphere
  • Nitrogen monoxide is formed by the direct combination of nitrogen and oxygen at high temperatures inside a combustion engine
    • The nitrogen monoxide formed is a free radical as it has an odd number of electrons / unpaired electron 
  • The nitrogen monoxide radical reacts with one molecule of ozone to form the nitrogen dioxide molecule
    • NO + O3 → NO2 + O2 
  • The nitrogen monoxide radical is then reformed 
    • NO2 + O → NO + O2 
  • Overall, the breakdown equation is O3 + O → 2O2 

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Philippa Platt

Author: Philippa Platt

Expertise: Chemistry

Philippa has worked as a GCSE and A level chemistry teacher and tutor for over thirteen years. She studied chemistry and sport science at Loughborough University graduating in 2007 having also completed her PGCE in science. Throughout her time as a teacher she was incharge of a boarding house for five years and coached many teams in a variety of sports. When not producing resources with the chemistry team, Philippa enjoys being active outside with her young family and is a very keen gardener.