Ozone
The name ozone comes from the Greek Ozon meaning smell. At atmospheric temperatures, ozone is a colorless gas with an odor similar to chlorine that can usually be detected at a level of about 0.01 parts per million.
High in the atmosphere, ozone plays an important protective role by diminishing the amount of potentially damaging ultraviolet radiation reaching Earth. In sufficient concentration, however, ozone is a poison that at lower atmospheric levels, is a pollutant that can be damaging to health. Ozone is also a strong oxidizing agent used in many industrial processes for bleaching and sterilization. Although ozone is often used in water treatment, the largest commercial application of ozone is in the production of pharmaceuticals, synthetic lubricants, and other commercially useful organic compounds.
In the atmosphere, ozone is formed predominantly by electric discharges (e.g., lightning). In the laboratory, ozone can be extracted form a mixture of oxygen and ozone by fractionation.
Ozone can also be formed by ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is energetic, and when it strikes the atmosphere it can break down some oxygen molecules producing highly energized oxygen atoms (free radicals). These free radicals can then react with molecular oxygen to produce ozone. The absorption of energetic light radiation also triggers the decomposition of ozone. As a result, ozone is an unstable molecule that exists in a dynamic equilibrium of formation and destruction. Consequently, the protective ozone layer is also in dynamic equilibrium.
The area where ozone is formed at the fastest rate is in the atmosphere at a height of approximately 164,042 ft (50 km). At this height, the number of free radicals made by ultraviolet light and electric discharge is balanced by the concentration of diatomic oxygen, which is sufficiently high to ensure that reactive collisions occur.
The protective ozone layer is found in the upper reaches of the atmosphere (between 98,000–295,000 ft [30–90 km]) where it absorbs ultraviolet radiation that, in excess, can be harmful to biological organisms. The potential detrimental effects of increased exposure to ultraviolet light due to a lessening of atmospheric ozone are of great concern. Holes in the ozone layer, or a global breakdown of stratospheric ozone would lead to increasing doses of ultraviolet radiation at Earth's surface. Scientists fear that significant increases exposure to ultraviolet light will increase risks of cancer in animal skin, eyes, and immune systems. Studies have shown that high ultraviolet radiation doses can supply the needed energy for chemical reactions that produce highly reactive radicals that have the potential to damage DNA and other cell regulating chemicals and structures.
There are several atmospheric trace elements, including ozone, that are important in the regulation of the global climate. Although the atmosphere consists of mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, approximately one percent of Earth's atmosphere is made of small amounts of other gases. Trace gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and ozone. Because the amount of trace gases in the atmosphere is small, human activities can significantly affect the proportions of atmospheric trace gases.
Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) easily react with ozone, which has the effect of breaking down an already unstable molecule. Until recently, CFCs were commonly used in refrigeration and in aerosol propellants (a pressurized gas used to propel substances out of a container). After evidence indicating that the use of CFCs was tipping the ozone equilibrium toward overall ozone layer depletion, many industrialized countries opted to enforce restrictions on the use of CFCs. Consumer aerosol products in the United States have not used ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs since the late 1970s. Federal regulations, including the Clean Air Act and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations restrict the use of ozone-depleting substances.
Ozone played a critical role in the development of life on Earth. Once primitive plants evolved, oxygen started to accumulate in the atmosphere. Some of this oxygen was converted into ozone and the developing ozone layer gave needed protection from disruptively energetic ultraviolet radiation. As a consequence, complex organic molecules which would otherwise have been destroyed began to accumulate.
As well as being found high in the atmosphere, ozone can be found at ground level. At these locations it is regarded as a pollutant. Ozone at ground level can be manufactured as part of photochemical smog. This is brought about by the disassociation of oxides of nitrogen that produce oxygen free radicals. These free radicals can react with diatomic oxygen to produce ozone. Pollutant ozone can also be a by-product of the action of photocopiers and computer printers. Low level ozone is usually found at a concentration of less than 0.01 parts per million, whereas in photochemical smog, it can be encountered at levels as high as 0.5 parts per million. Levels of ozone exposure between 0.1 and 1 part per million cause headaches, burning eyes, and irritation to the respiratory passages in humans. Elderly people, asthma sufferers, and those exercising in photochemical smog suffer the greatest adverse effects.
Some plant species (e.g., the tobacco plant) are particularly sensitive to low-lying ozone. The presence of excessive ozone causes a characteristic spotting of the leaves. High ozone levels are also known to damage structural material such as rubber.
Replacing more dangerous chlorine gas, ozone is used in many waste treatment facilities to purify water. Ozone is responsible for disinfecting the water and the efficient removal of trace elements such as pesticides. Ozone kills bacteria and other small life forms and it reacts with organic compounds. During the process, the ozone is transformed to molecular oxygen.
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