The efficiency and utility of R 22 as a refrigerant and air conditioning fluid is reflected in its extended usage under the Montreal Protocol. R 22 still plays a vital role in reducing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) levels in many markets.

Chlorodifluoromethane or difluoromonochloromethane is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC). This colorless gas is better known as HCFC-22, or R-22, or CHClF

It is commonly used as a propellant and refrigerant. These applications are being phased out in developed countries due to the compound's ozone depletion potential (ODP) and high global warming potential (GWP), although global use of R-22 continues to increase because of high demand in developing countries. R-22 is a versatile intermediate in industrial organofluorine chemistry, e.g. as a precursor to tetrafluoroethylene.

Worldwide production of R-22 in 2008 was about 800 Gg per year, up from about 450 Gg per year in 1998, with most production in developing countries. R-22 use is increasing in developing countries, largely for air conditioning applications. Air conditioning sales are growing 20% annually in India and China.

R-22 is often used as an alternative to the highly ozone-depleting CFC-11 and CFC-12, because of its relatively low ozone depletion potential of 0.055, among the lowest for chlorine-containing haloalkanes. However, even this lower ozone depletion potential is no longer considered acceptable.

As an additional environmental concern, R-22 is a powerful greenhouse gas with a GWP equal to 1810 (which indicates 1810 times as powerful as carbon dioxide). Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are often substituted for R-22 because of their lower ozone depletion potential, but these refrigerants often have a higher GWP. R-410A, for example, is often substituted, but has a GWP of 1725. Another substitute is R404A with a GWP of 3900. Other substitute refrigerants are available with low GWP. Ammonia (R717), popular in the early years of refrigeration, has a GWP of <1 and remains a popular substitute on fishing vessels. Ammonia’s toxicity and flammability limit its safe application.

Propane (R-290), is another example, and has a GWP of 3. Propane was the de facto refrigerant in systems smaller than industrial scale before the introduction of CFCs. The reputation of propane refrigerators as a fire hazard kept delivered ice and the ice box the overwhelming consumer choice despite its inconvenience and higher cost until safe CFC systems overcame the negative perceptions of refrigerators. Illegal to use as a refrigerant in the USA for decades, propane is now permitted for use in limited mass suitable for small refrigerators. It is not lawful to use in air conditioners, or larger refrigerators because of its flammability and potential for explosion.