Atmospheric lifetimes of selected fluorinated ether compounds

Atmospheric lifetimes have been estimated for a selection of ethers, the latter representing a class of compounds being considered as replacements for chlorofluorocarbons. The estimates are based on laboratory measurements of rate constants for the reaction of the OH radical with the ethers, and a comparison with the behaviour of methyl chloroform in the atmosphere. The lifetimes for the ethers ranged from a few hours to half a year, significantly lower than those of chlorofluorocarbons and other replacements being considered.