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Ozone
What Is the
Chemical Formula of Ozone and How Is Ozone Formed in the Atmosphere?
Chris Deziel
Ozone is a simple chemical
compound that contains only oxygen atoms, and its effects depend on where in
the atmosphere it occurs.
In the upper stratosphere,
it forms a protective shield against solar ultraviolet radiation, but near the
ground, it's a pollutant that can cause respiratory ailments in humans and
animals.
The creation and destruction
of stratospheric ozone depend primarily on natural processes, but near the
ground, industrial processes are mostly responsible for its creation.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
Ozone, with the chemical
formula O3, forms from ordinary oxygen in the upper stratosphere with the
energy from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Ozone also forms in the
lower atmosphere from natural and industrial processes.
Chemical Composition
An ozone molecule consists
of three oxygen atoms (O3), whereas the stable form of oxygen that normally
exists in the atmosphere consists of only two.
When certain chemical
processes make an extra oxygen atom available, the highly reactive atom binds
readily with an oxygen molecule.
Ozone is also highly
reactive, and its oxidizing ability is second only to fluorine.
It is useful as a
deodorizing and bleaching agent as well as for killing germs and purifying
water.
It is a pale blue gas at
room temperature, and its strong odor is reminiscent of a thunderstorm because
lightning strikes produce ozone.
Production of Stratospheric
Ozone
Ultraviolet light from the
sun reacts with oxygen molecules in the upper atmosphere to form the
stratospheric ozone layer.
When the energetic light
strikes oxygen molecules, it breaks them into two separate oxygen atoms, and
each of the highly reactive atoms bind with another oxygen molecule, resulting
in the formation of two ozone molecules.
These reactions occur most
frequently over the tropics, where the sunlight is most intense.
They are important because
the ultraviolet radiation they absorb would otherwise reach the surface of the
planet, where it would make it difficult for life to exist.
Production of Tropospheric
Ozone
Because it is such a
corrosive gas, ozone in the lower atmosphere is known as bad ozone, and a
number of chemical reactions produce it.
One of them occurs inside
automobile engines, where oxygen and nitrogen gas combine to form nitric oxide.
This gas reacts with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide.
On sunny, hot days, nitrogen
dioxide breaks down again to release an oxygen atom, which in turn binds with
an oxygen atom to form ozone.
Emissions from factories and
energy stations that burn fossil fuels also generate ozone through a similar
process.
Ozone also forms around
high-voltage electrical equipment.
Ozone Pollution
Ozone occurs naturally in
the troposphere, mainly due to the release of hydrocarbons from plants and soil
that break down in sunlight to nitric acid and oxygen radicals.
Natural levels are seldom
high enough to cause problems for humans, but the extra ozone from industrial
processes and automobiles can cause a number of them.
The highly reactive gas
damages forests and crops, damages living tissue and causes respiratory
ailments in sensitive individuals.
Ozone levels in the
troposphere aren't constant -- they increase on hot sunny days in metropolitan
and other areas of high industrial activity.
Ozone is a primary component
of smog.
Chris
Deziel holds a Bachelor's degree in
physics and a Master's degree in Humanities, He has taught science, math and
English at the university level, both in his native Canada and in Japan. He
began writing online in 2010, offering information in scientific, cultural and
practical topics. His writing covers science, math and home improvement and
design, as well as religion and the oriental healing arts.
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