A 2009 analysis by Ravishankara et al. found that, more than any CFC, this compound is the largest cause of ozone depletion in the 21st century. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this compound emitted by soil microbes, which is inert in the troposphere but gets photolyzed into ozone-depleting species in the stratosphere.
ANSWER: N2O (“N-2-O”) [or nitrous oxide]
[10m] N2O photolysis is the chief source of this specific set of reactive nitrogen species in the stratosphere. These compounds react with V·O·Cs to form smog and with water and oxygen to form acid rain; you may give either the shorthand or all the compounds in the class.
ANSWER: NOx (“nox”) compounds [accept NO AND NO2 (“N-O-2”); accept nitric oxide AND nitrogen dioxide; reject partial answers]
[10e] Fortunately, the combined effect of N2O and CFC emission on ozone levels is less than expected, since NO2 reacts with this element’s radical monoxide to sequester it. This halogen has the highest atomic number of elements in CFCs.
ANSWER: chlorine [or Cl]
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