Ozone

Ozone The Ozone Our Earth’s atmosphere is divided into several layers. The lowest region, the troposphere, extends from the Earth’s surface up to 10 kilometers in altitude. All human activity occurs in the troposphere. The next layer, the stratosphere, continues from the end of the troposphere to about 50km. Most air traffic occurs in the stratosphere. Ozone is a tri-atomic allotrope of oxygen that accounts for the distinctive odor after a thunderstorm or around electrical equipment. The odor of ozone around electrical machines was reported as early as 1785, and ozone’s chemical make-up was determined in 1872. Ozone is an irritating, pale blue gas that is explosive and toxic, even at low concentrations. Ozone is 1.5 times as dense as oxygen. At -112 degrees Celsius, it condenses into a dark blue liquid, which freezes at -412 degrees Celsius. Ozone is an extremely powerful oxidizing agent. It is used commercially as a bleaching agent and as a strong germicide used to sterilize drinking water as well as to remove objectional odors and flavors. Most atmospheric ozone is concentrated in the stratosphere, about 15-30km above the Earth’s surface. Ozone is a molecule containing three oxygen atoms. The oxygen that we breathe has only two oxygen atoms and no color or odor. Ozone occurs far less than oxygen, of every ozone, oxygen, cfcs, chlorine, levels, chemical, stratosphere, processes, potential, depletion, being, been, agent, trends, species, several, radiation, over, out, normal, low, layer, effects, destruction, contain, compounds, catalytic, atoms, atmospheric, water, uvb, until, ultraviolet, two, tropics, total