Abstract
METHYL chloroform (111 trichloro ethane) was introduced into general use in 1955–60 in response to the need for a general solvent which was less toxic than those then in use. Its ubiquitous presence in the northern and southern hemispheres, first reported in 1974 (ref. 1), has since been confirmed2,3. The only significant sources of methyl chloroform are industrial releases from its use as a cleaning agent and solvent. A principal sink for its removal from the atmosphere seems to be the reaction with OH radicals. The rate of its release to the atmosphere is known with some accuracy, and consequently the measurements of its growth in the atmosphere could provide valuable information on the strength of the OH reaction sink, not only for methyl chloroform but also for other important atmospheric gases which undergo similar reactions. This communication reports measurements of the abundance of methyl chloroform made during 5 yr in the northern and southern tropospheres.
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LOVELOCK, J. Methyl chloroform in the troposphere as an indicator of OH radical abundance. Nature 267, 32 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/267032a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/267032a0
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