Ozone depletion and global warming potentials of CF₃I

Laboratory measurements of the infrared and near-ultraviolet absorption characteristics of CF₃I (a potentially useful substitute for halons) are presented. Using these data together with a detailed photochemical model, it is shown that the lifetime of this gas in the sunlit atmosphere is less than a day. The chemistry of iodine in the stratosphere is evaluated, and it is shown that any iodine that reaches the stratosphere will be very effective for ozone destruction there. However, the extremely short lifetime of CF₃I greatly limits its transport to the stratosphere when released at the surface, especially at midlatitudes, and the total anthropogenic surface release of CF₃I is likely to be far less than that of natural iodocarbons such as CH₃I on a global basis. -from Authors