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Thomas Midgley
CFCs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why were CFCs developed? | non toxic refrigerant for household appliances. |
| Problems with the previous gases | toxic, caused people to die in their sleep. (ammonia, chloromethane) |
| Why were CFCs so popular? | non toxic and not flammable |
| What are the problems with CFCs | strong carbon to halogen bond, however when reaching the ozone, breaks down to form radicals which catalyst the breakdown of the ozone layer. |
| What were CFCs orginally used for? | solvents, blowing agents, refrigerants, propellants |
| Alternatives to CFCs | hydrofluroalkanes (HFCs) hydroflurohydrocarbons (HCFCs) |
| Why are these only a short term solution? | Present 1/10th of the damage of CFCs so serious damage is still being caused. |
| What are refrigerator gases and propellants alternatives? | based hydrocarbons eg butane but are still flammable. |