A specific type of chlorofluorocarbon containing one carbon, one chlorine, and one fluorine atom, commonly known as CFC-11 (Freon-11), formerly used as a refrigerant.
From 'chloro-' + 'fluoro-' + 'methane' (the simplest hydrocarbon with one carbon). CFC-11 was the most commonly produced CFC before the ozone crisis.
CFC-11 is so stable that molecules released from your grandmother's 1970s refrigerator might still be in the atmosphere today—it can take 50-100 years for a single CFC molecule to decompose, which is why the ozone hole won't fully recover for centuries.
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