The chemical reactions that lead to the formation of the ozone hole in the upper layers of the atmosphere have not yet all been understood.
Mass spectrometers are very successful at detecting trace molecules in the atmosphere.
These instruments, which identify molecules by their mass, do so with a sensitivity that would allow them to recognize a single hair among the hair of all of the people on earth. Since it is possible to mount mass spectrometers on rockets, it is known that atmospheric molecules, becoming electrically charged through the influence of ionizing cosmic radiation, play an important role in complex atmospheric chemistry. They can limit the lifetime of harmful molecules. What is formed in these reactions between CFCs and the charged particles has not previously been determined. The product of this reaction then decomposed to form carbon monoxide and another charged molecule.