Ozone :: essays research papers fc

OzoneTriatomic oxygen, O3, is most commonly known as ozone. It has aresonance structure, and passel be drawn in two different waysO=O-O-O=OIt is a bluish, explosive gas at room temperature, and has a boil pointof -119C. It has a melting point of -193C, and is a blue liquid. Itscritical temperature and pressure are -12.1C and 53.8 atm, respectively. Ithas a pleasant odor in concentrations of less(prenominal) than 2 ppm, and is irritating andinjurious in high concentrations. The density of ozone gas is 2.144 g/L, andthe density of ozone as a liquid is 1.614 g/mL. It is extremely unstable, andsolutions containing ozone inflate upon warming. It is found in varyingproportions on Earth, but it is about 0.05 ppm at sea level.Ozone absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere, andprotects humans from fight cancer. But ozone is also the main ingredient of smog,and causes serious health effects and forest and crop damage in the loweratmosphere. Ozone is formed through th e chemical reaction of volatile ingrainedcompounds and nitrogen dioxide, in the atmosphere, in the presence of sunlight.This reaction is called a photochemical reaction, because sunlight is required.The product is known as smog. The ill-famed brownish color of smog is due tonitrogen dioxide of the mixture. Increased temperature stimulate the reaction,which is why ozone conditions are worse in the summer. It is an oxidant,meaning it takes electrons away from other molecules, and disrupts rougestructures in cells by starting chain reactions.Ozone is a serious national problem. Half of the largest urban areas inthe United States exceed the ozone standards. The worst regions in the USinclude California and the Texas Gulf coast, and the northeast and the Chicago-Milwaukee area during the summer. The ozone condition varies from year to year,as the temperature and weather fluctuate. This fluctuation also occursthroughout the day, as emissions from morning business builds up, the level s rise.Ozone emissions come from many things, such as automobiles, gas stations, powerplants, dry cleaners, paint shops, chemical manufacturing pants, oil refineries,and other business that release volatile organic compounds.The health effects of ozone are chest pain, coughing, wheezing, lung andnasal congestion, labored breathing, sore throat, nausea, rapid breathing, andeye and nose irritation. The symptoms occur when the levels of ozone are onlyslightly higher than the legal standard. Living in San Diego during myelementary school year, I personally felt the effects of ozone the tightness ofthe chest, wheezing, and labored breathing on certain hot, humid days.