Hexachloro-1,3-butadiene (HCBD) is a persistent organic pollutant in the environment. When its samples were collected and observed, the levels of HCBD in its source and high mountains are higher than in urban cities, oil factories and countryside. The density functional theory is applied to the degradation mechanism of HCBD with Cl, NO 3 , HO 2 , OH and O 3 . Those reactions are optimized and calculated at two carbon sites of double bonds, and then the subsequent reactions of the OH-initiated intermediates with O 2 and NO are taken as examples. Ozonization reactions of HCBD including the formation of primary and secondary ozonides are investigated. The Criegee intermediates created in the ozonization reactions can react with O 2 , SO 2 , NO 2 and H 2 O. Reaction rate constants of the Cl, NO 3 , HO 2 , OH and O 3 initiated reactions with HCBD are calculated within 200 to 400 K with the transition state theory method, and the rate constants of the Cl, NO 3 , HO 2 , OH and O 3 at 298.15 K are 4.51 × 10 −13 , 1.32 × 10 −20 , 4.33 × 10 −29 , 6.33 × 10 −16 , 5.80 × 10 −27 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 , respectively. The reactions of OH and Cl radicals with HCBD are more important than those of NO 3 , HO 2 and O 3 according to the reaction rate branching ratio. Both the temperature and reaction rate could change with the height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]