Question

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) are organic compounds that have been implicated in ozone depletion. When the CFC known as Freon 12 (CCl2F2) is exposed to UV radiation (wavelength in the range of 10 nm to 400 nm, a bit shorter than visible light), a chlorine atom breaks off from the rest of the molecule. Prove that this is possible by calculating the maximum wavelength (in meters) capable of breaking the C-Cl bond.

Answer 1

First calculate the energy for C-Cl bond by using E_ccl=(rootsquare of (E_cc*E_clcl)) - 96.3(Xc-Xcl)^2 where Xc an Xcl are the values of the electronegativity for each element.
Then think of this energy as the energy of a photon capable of braking that bond. Use the formula E=hv which can be written as E=hc/wavelenght then you get that wavelenght equals to hc/E where h is Plank's constant and c light speed in vacuum.

Answer 2

breaking i meant....