trihalomethane trihalomethane in chemistry, trihalomethanes (thms) are chemical compounds in which three of the four hydrogen atoms of methane (ch4) are replaced by halogen atoms. many trihalomethanes find uses in industry as solvents or refrigerants. thms are also environmental pollutants, and many are considered carcinogenic. trihalomethanes with all the same halogen atoms are called haloforms. table of common trihalomethanes common trihalomethanes (ordered by molecular weight) molecular formula iupac name cas registry number common name other names molecule chf3 trifluoromethane 75-46-7 fluoroform freon 23, r-23, hfc-23 chclf2 chlorodifluoromethane 75-45-6 chlorodifluoromethane r-22, hcfc-22 chcl3 trichloromethane 67-66-3 chloroform r-20, methyl trichloride chbrcl2 bromodichloromethane 75-27-4 bromodichloromethane dichlorobromomethane, bdcm chbr2cl dibromochloromethane 124-48-1 dibromochloromethane chlorodibromomethane, cdbm chbr3 tribromomethane 75-25-2 bromoform methyl tribromide chi3 triiodomethane 75-47-8 iodoform methyl triiodide industrial uses only chloroform has significant applications of the haloforms. in the predominant application, chloroform is required for the production of tetrafluoroethylene (tfe), precursor to teflon. chloroform is fluorinated by reaction with hydrogen fluoride to produce chlorodifluoromethane (r-22). pyrolysis of chlorodifluoromethane (at 550-750 °c) yields tfe, with difluorocarbene as an intermediate. chcl 3 + 2 hf ⟶ chclf 2 + 2 hcl 2 chclf 2 ⟶ c 2 f 4 + 2 hcl refrigerants and solvents trihalomethanes released to the environment break down faster than chlorofluorocarbons (cfcs), thereby doing much less damage to the ozone layer. trifluoromethane and chlorodifluoromethane are both used as refrigerants. chlorodifluoromethane is a refrigerant hcfc, or hydrochlorofluorocarbon, while fluoroform is an hfc, or hydrofluorocarbon. fluoroform is not ozone depleting. chloroform is a common solvent in organic chemistry. occurrence and production the total global flux of chloroform through the environment is approximately 660000 tonnes per year, and about 90% of emissions are natural in origin. many kinds of seaweed produce chloroform, and fungi are believed to produce chloroform in soil. most of the haloforms — specifically, chloroform (chcl3), bromoform (chbr3), and iodoform (chi3) — are easy to prepare through the haloform reaction, although this method does not lend itself to bulk syntheses. (fluoroform (chf3) cannot be prepared in this manner.) chloroform is produced by heating mixtures of methane or methyl chloride with chlorine. dichloromethane is a coproduct. bromochlorofluoromethane is one of the simplest possible stable chiral compounds, and is used for studies. regulation trihalomethanes were the subject of the first drinking water regulations issued after passage of the u.s. safe drinking water act in 1974. the epa limits the total concentration of the four chief constituents (chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane, and dibromochloromethane), referred to as total trihalomethanes (tthm), to 80 parts per billion in treated water. traces of chloroform are produced in swimming pools.