In the upper atmosphere, the ultra-violet light breaks off a free chlorine atom from chlorofluorocarbon molecule. The effect of this is that the free chlori...

Answer Details

The free chlorine atom that breaks off from a chlorofluorocarbon molecule will be very reactive and will attack ozone in the upper atmosphere. Ozone is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms, and when the free chlorine atom reacts with ozone, it breaks the ozone molecule into two separate oxygen molecules. This reaction reduces the amount of ozone in the atmosphere, which is known as ozone depletion. Over time, this can lead to a thinning of the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.