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- /

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.
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. 2020

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.