ABSTRACT
The existence of the ClO radical was first suggested in the 1920s, following studies of the photosensitized decomposition of gaseous Cl2O. It was one of the first indirect evidences that a transient species, namely ClO, was involved in the chemistry of this decomposition. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) example became a classic example of how man-made materials and our widespread use of them can dramatically affect global chemical processes for a very long time. Cl and Br atoms destroy ozone molecules through a variety of catalytic cycles. In the simplest example of such a cycle, a chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule, taking an oxygen atom to form chlorine monoxide (ClO) and leaving an oxygen molecule. The ClO can react with a second molecule of ozone, releasing the chlorine atom and yielding two molecules of oxygen. The ClO and BrO radicals are studied theoretically in this research to discover their molecular properties.
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