Tuckett, R. P. (2008) CF3SF5 : a ‘super’ greenhouse gas.
Education in Chemistry, 45. pp. 17-21. ISSN 0013-1350 URL of
Published Version: http://www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/issues/2008J
an/CF3SF5SuperGreenhouseGas.asp One molecule of the
anthropogenic pollutant trifluoromethyl sulphur pentafluoride
(CF\(_3\)SF\(_5\)), an adduct of the CF\(_3\) and SF\(_5\) free
radicals, causes more global warming than one molecule of any
other greenhouse gas yet detected in the Earth’s atmosphere.
That is, it has the highest per molecule radiative forcing of
any greenhouse pollutant, and the value of its global warming
potential is only exceeded by that of SF\(_6\). First, the
greenhouse effect is described, the properties of a molecule
that cause it to be a significant greenhouse gas, and therefore
the contributions that physical chemistry can make to an
improved understanding of the effect. Second, the chemistry of
(CF\(_3\)SF\(_5\)), first discovered in the atmosphere in 2000,
is taken as a case study. Experiments using tunab