What causes a chlorine atom to break away?

What causes a chlorine atom to break away?

CFCs In The Ozone CFCs are made up of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms. When these CFCs are released into the atmosphere and brought up to the stratosphere by strong winds the ultraviolet radiation from the sun hits the CFC molecule. This causes a chlorine atom to break apart from the chlorine molecule.

What happens to the CL molecule after it is released from CF2Cl2?

Chemists had shown in the lab that when UV-B strikes CF2Cl2 it breaks the molecule into Cl and CF2Cl. They postulated that the freed Cl atom could then go on to break apart O3 (ozone) and produce ClO and O2.

What do chlorine atoms do to ozone?

When chlorine and bromine atoms come into contact with ozone in the stratosphere, they destroy ozone molecules. One chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere. These compounds contribute to ozone depletion, and are called ozone-depleting substances ( ODS.

Do volcanoes release chlorine?

Volcanic eruptions account for a large flux of chlorine from land to the atmosphere on a yearly basis. On the other hand, chlorine from volcanoes is usually emitted as hydrochloric acid (HCl), chlorine gas (Cl2) or volatile compounds such as lead chloride (PbCl2).

How do chlorine atoms Catalyse the decomposition of ozone?

Chlorine initiates the breakdown of ozone and combines with a freed oxygen to create two oxygen molecules. After each reaction, chlorine begins the destructive cycle again with another ozone molecule. One chlorine atom can thereby destroy thousands of ozone molecules.

What is the role of Cl free radical in ozone destruction?

The chlorine radical rapidly reacts with ozone (step 2) to form molecular oxygen and a chlorine monoxide radical. This degradation occurs before the refrigerant molecules have a chance to drift higher up to the stratosphere where the ozone plays its important protective role.

What happens to the electrons in a chlorine molecule?

In the chlorine molecule, the two chlorine atoms are attracted to the same pair of electrons. Each chlorine atom has seven valence electrons in the third energy level and requires one more electron to form an electron core with an argon electron configuration. What can happen to electrons when atoms gain or lose energy?

How does chlorine get out of the stratosphere?

Fortunately, chlorine atoms do not remain in the stratosphere forever. When a free chlorine atom reacts with gases such as methane (CH 4 ), it is bound up into a molecule of hydrogen chloride (HCl), which can be carried downward from the stratosphere into the troposphere, where it can be washed away by rain.

What happens at the end of a chlorine radical?

The methyl radical takes one of the chlorine atoms to form chloromethane (which is what we want to make), but in the process generates another chlorine radical. This new chlorine radical can now go through the whole sequence again, and at the end will produce yet another chlorine radical – and so on…

What happens to chlorine atom when it reacts with methane?

When a free chlorine atom reacts with gases such as methane (CH 4 ), it is bound up into a molecule of hydrogen chloride (HCl), which can be carried downward from the stratosphere into the troposphere, where it can be washed away by rain.