Dichlorodifluoromethane molecule CCl₂F₂

ALL MOLECULAR GRAPHICS: HALOCARBONS: CFCs: dichlorodifluoromethane

(above) dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl₂F₂) image. This image is 500 x 500 pixels; the original image is 4096 x 4096 pixels.

dichlorodifluoromethane, CCl₂F₂: consists of a centrally placed carbon atom (shown in black) with two chlorine atoms (shown in green) and two fluorine atoms (shown in purple) arranged approximately (the bond lengths are different) at the points of a tetrahedron around it. dichlorodifluoromethane is a greenhouse gas and ozone depleter.

CFCs or ChloroFluoroCarbons: are very important greenhouse gases and ozone depleters. They contain only carbon, chlorine and fluorine atoms.

Haloalkanes are formed when a halide atom (Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, or Iodine) is bonded to carbon in an alkane. An alkane is a compound made fron carbon and hydrogen (i.e. it is a hydrocarbon) with no multiple bonds (i.e. it is saturated). Examples include methane (CH₄) ethane (C₂H₆), propane (C₃H₈), and butane (C₄H₁₀).

LINKS TO MAJOR GREENHOUSE GAS MOLECULAR IMAGES:

• Carbon Dioxide, CO₂
• Methane, CH₄
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCS)
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCS)
• Nitrous oxide, N₂O
• Nitrogen trifluoride, NF₃
• Sulfur hexafluoride, SF₆