Chlorotrifluoromethane, R-13, CFC-13, or Freon 13, is a non-flammable, non-corrosive, nontoxic

chlorofluorocarbon Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly Halogenation, halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatility (chemistry), volat ...

(CFC) and also a mixed

halomethane Halomethane compounds are derivatives of methane () with one or more of the hydrogen atoms replaced with halogen atoms (Fluorine, F, Chlorine, Cl, Bromine, Br, or Iodine, I). Halomethanes are both naturally occurring, especially in marine environm ...

. It is a man-made substance used primarily as a

refrigerant A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the cooling, heating, or reverse cooling/heating cycles of air conditioning systems and heat pumps, where they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are ...

. When released into the environment, CFC-13 has a high

ozone depletion potential The ozone depletion potential (ODP) of a chemical compound is the relative amount of degradation to the ozone layer it can cause, with trichlorofluoromethane (R-11 or CFC-11) being fixed at an ODP of 1.0. Chlorodifluoromethane (R-22), for examp ...

, and long

atmospheric lifetime Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

. Only a few other

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

es surpass CFC-13 in

global warming potential Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a specific time period, relative to carbon dioxide (). It is expressed as a multiple of warming caused by the same mass of carbon dioxide ( ...

(GWP). The

IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World M ...

AR5 reported that CFC-13's

was 640 years.

Production

CFC-13like all chlorofluorocarbon compoundscontains atoms of

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...

(C),

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...

(Cl), and

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

(F). It can be prepared by reacting carbon tetrachloride with hydrogen fluoride in the presence of a

catalytic Catalysis () is the increase in reaction rate, rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst ...

amount of

antimony pentachloride Antimony pentachloride is a chemical compound with the formula SbCl5. It is a colourless oil, but typical samples are yellowish due to dissolved chlorine. Owing to its tendency to hydrolyse to hydrochloric acid, SbCl5 is a highly corrosive subs ...

: :CCl₄ + 3 HF → CClF₃ + 3 HCl This reaction can also produce

trichlorofluoromethane Trichlorofluoromethane, also called freon-11, CFC-11, or R-11, is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). It is a colorless, faintly ethereal, and sweetish-smelling liquid that boils around room temperature. CFC-11 is a Class 1 ozone-depleting substance w ...

(CCl₃F),

dichlorodifluoromethane Dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12) is a colorless gas popularly known by the genericized brand name Freon (as Freon-12). It is a chlorofluorocarbon halomethane (CFC) used as a refrigerant and aerosol spray propellant. In compliance with the Montreal ...

(CCl₂F₂) and

tetrafluoromethane Tetrafluoromethane, also known as carbon tetrafluoride or R-14, is the simplest perfluorocarbon ( C F4). As its IUPAC name indicates, tetrafluoromethane is the perfluorinated counterpart to the hydrocarbon methane. It can also be classified as a h ...

(CF₄).

Montreal Protocol

Following the unanimous ratification of the 1987

Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 ...

in response to concerns about the role of concentrations of

chlorofluorocarbons Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, ...

(CFCs) in

ozone layer The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the a ...

-depletion in the

stratosphere The stratosphere () is the second-lowest layer of the atmosphere of Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is composed of stratified temperature zones, with the warmer layers of air located higher ...

a process was put into place to gradually phase out and replace CFC-13 and all the other CFCs. Research in the 1980s said that these man-made CFC compound compounds had opened a hole in ozone layer in the upper atmosphere or stratosphere that protects life on earth from

UV radiation Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of t ...

. CFC-13's

(ODP) is high 1 ( CCl₃F = 1)it is categorized as a Class I in the IPCC's list of ozone-depleting substances. CFC-13's radiative efficiency is high which results in a high

(GWPs) of 13 900 GWP-100 yr that is "surpassed by very few other greenhouse gases." It is categorized as a Class I in the list of ozone-depleting Substances.

Increase in atmospheric abundance of CFC-13 in 2010s

Starting in the 2010s, despite a global ban on the production of CFCs, five of these ozone-damaging emissions were on the rise. The atmospheric abundance of CFC-13 rose from 3.0 parts per trillion (ppt) in year 2010 to 3.3 ppt in year 2020 based on analysis of air samples gathered from sites around the world. Contrary to the Montreal Protocol, the atmospheric emissions of CFC-13 and four other

(CFCs), increased between 2010 and 2020. As of 2023, the drivers behind the increase in CFC-13 and CFC-112a emissions were not certain.

Physical properties

The

AR5 reported that CFC-13's

Atmospheric lifetime Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

was 640 years.

References

External links

MSDS at mathesontrigas.com
*
Entry at Air Liquide gas encyclopaedia

The crystal structure of chlorotrifluoromethane, CF₃Cl; neutron powder diffraction and constrained refinement

{{Authority control Chlorofluorocarbons Halomethanes Refrigerants Greenhouse gases Ozone-depleting chemical substances Trifluoromethyl compounds Chlorofluoroalkanes