The ultraviolet spectra of gaseous and liquid samples of the species CF3OH have been investigated in the laboratory. Upper limits to the absorption cross sections in the 190--300 nm wavelength range were determined. The species CF3OH is produced in the stratosphere by hydrogen abstraction reactions involving the CF3O radical; the upper limits to the ultraviolet absorption cross sections established in this work imply that photolysis of CF3OH in the stratosphere is too slow to regenerate CF3O radicals at rates significant for ozone depletion. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996