Bond Cleavage

Carbon-containing intermediates arise from 2 types of bond cleavage:

1. Homolytic (radical) cleavage- each group takes one electron
2. Heterolytic (polar) cleavage- both electrons go with one group

Figure 1. Homolysis and Heterolysis (Dr. Uwe Höfker & Prof. Dr. Gregor Fels)

In the case of CFCs, under the presence of UV radiation, homolytic cleavage will occurs to form radicals CCl₂F· and Cl·.