chlorofluorocarbon

[ klawr-oh-floor-oh-kahr-buhn, -flawr-; klohr-oh-floor-oh-kahr-buhn, -flohr- ]

/ ˌklɔr oʊˌflʊər oʊˈkɑr bən, -ˌflɔr-; ˌkloʊr oʊˌflʊər oʊˈkɑr bən, -ˌfloʊr- /

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noun

any of several volatile, inert, saturated compounds of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen: used as refrigerants, foam-blowing agents, solvents, and, formerly, as aerosol propellants until scientists became concerned about depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer.

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Compare chlorofluoromethane.

Origin of chlorofluorocarbon

First recorded in 1945–50; chloro-² + fluorocarbon

Words nearby chlorofluorocarbon

chlorobromide paper, chlorobromomethane, chlorocarbon, chloroethane, chloroethene, chlorofluorocarbon, chlorofluoromethane, chloroform, chloroformism, chloroformyl chloride, chlorogenic acid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chlorofluorocarbon in a sentence

The 1987 Montreal Protocol, phasing out the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, has long been seen as one of the environmental movement’s great success stories.
Billionaires Are Racing to Space—and the Climate is Paying the Price|Jeffrey Kluger|June 28, 2022|Time
In 1985, scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer, created by chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere.
Materials of the last century shaped modern life, but at a price|Carolyn Wilke|January 28, 2022|Science News
In 1987, the Montreal Protocol banned the production of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, that were rapidly depleting the ozone layer and damaging forests and croplands.
It’s time to rethink air conditioning|Rebecca Leber|August 26, 2021|Vox
In 1987, dozens of nations adopted the Montreal Protocol, agreeing to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons and other chemicals used in refrigerants, solvents, and other industrial products that were breaking down Earth’s protective ozone layer.
How the world already prevented far worse warming this century|James Temple|August 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for chlorofluorocarbon

chlorofluorocarbon

/ (ˌklɔːrəˌflʊərəʊˈkɑːbən) /

noun

chem any of various gaseous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, solvents, and in foam: some cause a breakdown of ozone in the earth's atmosphereAbbreviation: CFC

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chlorofluorocarbon

chlorofluorocarbon

[ klôr′ō-flur′ō-kär′bən ]

A fluorocarbon containing chlorine. Chlorofluorocarbons are destructive to the Earth's ozone layer. For this reason, the production and use of chlorofluorocarbons has been sharply reduced in recent years.