Question

Explain how a small amount of chlorofluorocarbons can destroy a large amount of ozone. short paragraph

Answer 1

CFCs are very stable so small amounts reach the stratosphere, where UV light breaks them apart and releases chlorine atoms. Those chlorine atoms destroy ozone catalytically: Cl + O3 → ClO + O2, then ClO + O → Cl + O2, so the chlorine atom is regenerated and can repeat the cycle many times. Because each chlorine atom can destroy thousands (even tens of thousands) of ozone molecules over its lifetime, tiny amounts of CFCs can cause large-scale ozone depletion.