chlorofluorocarbon

American  

[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

1. 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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chlorofluorocarbon British  

/ ˌklɔːrəˌflʊərəʊˈkɑːbən /

noun

1.  CFC.  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 atmosphere

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chlorofluorocarbon Scientific  

/ klôr′ō-flr′ō-kär′bən /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of chlorofluorocarbon

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

Example Sentences

In Earth's atmosphere, CO2 and chlorofluorocarbon are the main factors.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

A 2018 study published in Nature reported that a chlorofluorocarbon known as CFC-11 had been increasing since 2012.

From Scientific American • Apr. 4, 2023

Freon, a chlorofluorocarbon, was the solution to replace toxic and flammable ammonia in refrigerators, but then it caused stratospheric ozone depletion.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2022

Instead, international policymakers created the Montreal Protocol, which set standards that phased out ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon use worldwide.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2021

Still, the global problem of chlorofluorocarbon emissions, leading to the degradation of the atmosphere, had been focused on a single spot.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2016