Comment on “Resonant dissociative electron transfer of the presolvated electron to CCl4 in liquid: Direct observation and lifetime of the CCl4∗− transition state” [J. Chem. Phys. 128, 041102 (2008)

Abstract

A recent paper [J. Chem. Phys.128, 041102 (2008)] reports resonant dissociative electron transfer (RDET) to CCl4 in liquid ethanol. Part of the motivation for this work was the proposed importance of RDET processes for stratospheric ozone chemistry via dissociative electron attachment (DEA) triggered by cosmic ray activity in the polar winter stratosphere. In the present comment, it is argued that the relevance of DEA-induced destruction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the polar stratosphere as a possible pathway for rapid chemical ozone destruction should not be a motivation for studies of DEA on CFC molecules; no correlation is observed between polar chemical ozone loss and cosmic ray activity. In any event, the relevance of this process as a key mechanism for the formation of the ozone hole should be presented as an issue debated in the scientific literature rather than as an established scientific fact.