Who does not remember how fresh air invigorates after a thunderstorm! And what a pleasant smell stands after lightning strikes. And this fragrance cannot be confused with any other. It is associated with freshness. This smell creates ozone, the molecules of which are produced when lightning passes through the atmosphere. Ozone owes its name to the special aroma. Popular in the past with scientists Greek This word means "smelly".
From a chemical point of view, ozone is a modification of ordinary oxygen. Due to its chemical properties, it is also called active oxygen. If a molecule of ordinary and familiar oxygen consists of two identical atoms (its formula is O2), then the ozone molecule contains three of the same atoms, and its formula is O3. The molecular weight of this gas is 1.5 times greater than that of oxygen, and is 48 (against 32 for O2). Under standard, or normal conditions (temperature and pressure), ozone spontaneously turns into oxygen, and this reaction occurs with the release of heat.
In the earth's atmosphere there is an ozone layer located at an altitude of 20-30 km above the surface. In the lower part of the atmosphere, ozone occurs when high energies pass through the atmosphere - lightning strikes, powerful electrical discharges, and X-ray equipment.
The chemical activity of ozone is much higher than that of its isomer, molecular oxygen. It is much faster than molecular oxygen, forms chemical bonds with a wide variety of substances. Ozone is often used to fight bacteria - it quickly kills them. Therefore, it is used in the disinfection of drinking water or air.
And who discovered Ozone?
The discovery of ozone is the merit of the Dutch physicist Van Marum. He informed the scientific community about the discovery in 1785. More than half a century later, in 1850, its oxidizing ability was investigated, and the ability to form double molecular bonds when interacting with organic molecules was discovered. Practical use These properties are often found today in many industries.
Ozone is a very strong oxidizing agent. In addition, its disinfecting abilities are widely used. It has a detrimental effect on any microorganisms, including viruses. Ozone also kills species that are insensitive to the effects of chlorine compounds.
Ozone is also used instead of traditional chlorination for the preparation of drinking water. Its first use in this capacity was carried out in 1898, in the city of Saint Maur in France. And the first enterprise for industrial ozonation appeared in 1907, in the town Bon Voyage. He processed up to 22,500 cubic meters of water from the Vasubie River per day, supplying it to Nice. AT Russian Empire the first such station appeared in 1911 in St. Petersburg, and until 1916 this direction of water treatment was actively developed. A new round of such processing began in the 1980s, after the invention of compact, reliable, but most importantly, more economical ozone generators - devices for the production of ozone on an industrial scale.
During the First World War, ozone was also used in medicine, as an antiseptic. Since 1935, experiments began on the use of ozone as a therapy for intestinal diseases. Rectal administration of gas has shown a beneficial effect in many peptic ulcers, colitis, hemorrhoids and the destruction of pathogenic intestinal microflora. Experiments were carried out on the use of ozone in surgery, in the treatment of tuberculosis, other lung diseases, herpes, numerous infectious and other diseases.
Today, ozone is becoming increasingly popular for killing germs in water, air, and food, as this method produces unpleasant effects and undesirable odors.
AT European countries and the United States today, the preparation of drinking water with the participation of ozone is 95% of its total volume. Ozonation and for the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater. Processing removes traces of many hazardous substances: cyanides, oil refining residues, sulfur compounds, phenols and other hazardous wastes that can upset the ecological balance.
Atmospheric ozone, formed in the upper atmosphere, protects all life from harsh ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, the thinning of this layer and the formation of "ozone holes" can have an extremely adverse effect on the entire animal and flora, including a person.
Interesting Facts about ozone. Everyone knows how unusual the air smells after a thunderstorm. This is the smell of ozone formed during electrical discharges, which is not without reason translated from Greek as “odorous”. The characteristic smell of ozone cannot be confused with anything - it smells of freshness. Ozone is active oxygen. It is a compound of 3 oxygen atoms. The molecular formula is O3, the molecular weight is 48, which is 2.5 times heavier than oxygen. The O3 molecule is unstable and, at sufficient concentrations in air under normal conditions, spontaneously transforms into O2 in a few tens of minutes with the release of heat. The ozone layer is located 19 to 35 km above the Earth's surface. Ozone is also formed close to the Earth's surface during thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and in x-ray equipment. Ozone combines with other substances much faster than oxygen. Ozone kills bacteria very quickly, for this reason it is used to purify indoor water and air. Ozone was first discovered in 1785 by the Dutch physicist Van Marum. In 1850, the high activity of ozone as an oxidizing agent and its ability to add to double bonds in reactions with many organic compounds was determined. Both of these properties of ozone subsequently found wide practical application. Ozone, being one of the strongest oxidizing agents, has strong disinfecting properties. It is able to destroy viruses, bacteria, and also affect those microorganisms that are resistant to the action of chlorine. Ozone has been used to purify water for over a hundred years. For the first time, ozone was used for disinfection and deodorization of water in 1898 in Saint Mor (France). Already in 1907, the first water ozonation plant was built in the French city of Bon Voyage, which treated 22,500 cubic meters of water per day from the Vasubie River for the needs of the city of Nice. In 1911, a drinking water ozonation station was put into operation in St. Petersburg. In 1916, there were already 49 installations for the ozonation of drinking water. Ozone has become widespread only in the last 30 years due to the emergence of reliable, compact and energy-saving devices for its synthesis - ozonizers (ozone generators). And as an antiseptic, it was used during the First World War. Since 1935, rectal administration of an ozone-oxygen mixture has been used to treat various intestinal diseases (proctitis, hemorrhoids, ulcerative colitis, fistulas, suppression of pathogenic microorganisms). The study of the effect of ozone made it possible to use it in surgical practice for infectious lesions, the treatment of tuberculosis, pneumonia, hepatitis, herpes infection, anemia, etc. In Moscow in 1992, under the guidance of the Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, D.M.N. Zmyzgovoy A.V. the "Scientific and Practical Center for Ozone Therapy" was created, where ozone is used to treat many diseases. Today, ozone is considered to be a popular effective means of disinfecting water, air and purifying food. Currently, 95% of drinking water in Europe and the US is treated with ozone. Ozonation is also used in the purification of wastewater from phenols, petroleum products, cyanides, sulfides and other impurities that are hazardous to the environment. Atmospheric ozone plays an important role for all life on the planet. Forming an ozone layer in the stratosphere, it protects plants and animals from harsh ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, the problem of the formation of ozone holes has special meaning. The largest ozone hole with a diameter of over 1000 km was first discovered in 1985, on southern hemisphere over Antarctica.
This huge hole in the ozone layer of the earth was discovered in 1985, it appeared over Antarctica. In diameter, it is more than one thousand kilometers, and in area - about nine million kilometers squared.
Every year in the month of August, the hole disappears and it happens as if this huge ozone gap never existed.
Ozone hole - definition
An ozone hole is a decrease or complete absence of ozone concentration in the Earth's ozone layer. According to the report of the World Meteorological Organization and the theory generally accepted in science, a significant decrease in the ozone layer is caused by an ever-increasing anthropogenic factor - the release of bromine and chlorine-containing freons.
There is another hypothesis, according to which the very process of formation of holes in the ozone layer is natural and in no way connected with the results of the activity of human civilization.
A decrease in the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere causes a combination of factors. One of the main ones is the destruction of ozone molecules during reactions with various substances of natural and anthropogenic origin, as well as the absence of sunlight and radiation during the polar winter. This includes the polar vortex, which is especially stable and prevents the penetration of ozone from the latitudes of the polar region, and the resulting stratospheric polar clouds, the surface of the particles of which acts as a catalyst for the ozone decay reaction.
These factors are typical for Antarctica, and in the Arctic, the polar vortex is much weaker due to the fact that there is no continental surface. The temperature here is higher by a certain amount, in contrast to Antarctica. Polar stratospheric clouds are less common in the Arctic and tend to break up in early autumn.
What is Ozone?
Ozone is a poisonous substance that is harmful to humans. In small quantities, it has a very pleasant smell. To be convinced of this, you can take a walk in the forest in a thunderstorm field - at the time we will enjoy the fresh air, but later we will feel very unwell.
Under normal conditions, there is practically no ozone below the Earth's atmosphere - this substance is present in large quantities in the stratosphere, starting somewhere around 11 kilometers above the earth and extending up to 50-51 kilometers. The ozone layer lies just at the top of the catfish, that is, approximately 51 kilometers above the earth. This layer absorbs the deadly rays of the sun and thus protects our and not only our lives.
Before the discovery of ozone holes, ozone was considered a substance that poisoned the atmosphere. It was believed that the atmosphere was filled with ozone and that it was he who was the main culprit. greenhouse effect' with which something needs to be done.
In the present, on the contrary, humanity is trying to take steps to restore the ozone layer, as the ozone layer is becoming thinner throughout the Earth, and not just over Antarctica.
Ozone is a word of Greek origin, which in translation means “odorous”. What is ozone? At its core, O3 ozone is a blue gas with a characteristic odor that is associated with the smell of air after a thunderstorm. It is especially felt near sources of electric current.
History of ozone discovery by scientists
What is ozone? How was it opened? In 1785, the Dutch physicist Martin van Marum carried out several experiments aimed at studying the effect of electric current on oxygen. According to their results, the scientist investigated the appearance of a specific "electric matter". Continuing to work in this direction, in 1850 he managed to determine the ability of ozone to interact with organic compounds and its property as an oxidizing agent.
The disinfectant properties of ozone were first used in 1898 in France. In the town of Bon Voyage, a plant was built that disinfected and disinfected water from the Vasyubi River. In Russia, the first ozonation plant was launched in St. Petersburg in 1911.
Ozone was widely used during the First World War as an antiseptic. The ozone-oxygen mixture was used to treat intestinal diseases, pneumonia, hepatitis, and was practiced for infectious lesions after surgery. Especially active in ozonation began in 1980, the impetus for this was the appearance on the market of reliable and energy-saving. Currently, ozone is used to purify about 95% of water in the United States and throughout Europe.
Ozone generation technology
What is ozone? How is it formed? In the natural environment, ozone is found in the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 25 km. In fact, it is a gas that is formed as a result of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. On the surface, it forms a layer 19-35 km thick, which protects the Earth from penetration solar radiation. According to the interpretation of chemists, ozone is active oxygen (a compound of three oxygen atoms). In the gaseous state, it is blue, in the liquid state it has an indigo hue, and in the solid state it is dark blue crystals. O3 is its molecular formula.
What is the harm of ozone? It belongs to the highest hazard class - it is a very poisonous gas, the toxicity of which is equated to the category of chemical warfare agents. The reason for its appearance is electrical discharges in the atmosphere (3O2 = 2O3). In nature, you can feel it after strong lightning flashes. Ozone interacts well with other compounds and is considered one of the reasons why it is used to kill bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, to purify water and air.
The negative impact of ozone
What does ozone do? A characteristic feature of this gas is the ability to quickly interact with other substances. If in nature there is an excess of normative indicators, then as a result of its interaction with human tissues, hazardous substances and diseases can occur. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent, upon interaction with which the following are rapidly destroyed:
- natural rubber;
- metals other than gold, platinum and iridium;
- Appliances;
- electronics.
At high concentrations of ozone in the air, a deterioration in human health and well-being occurs, in particular:
- the mucous membrane of the eyes is irritated;
- the functioning of the respiratory system is disrupted, which will lead to paralysis of the lungs;
- there is a general fatigue of the body;
- headaches appear;
- possible allergic reactions;
- burning in the throat and nausea;
- there is a negative effect on the nervous system.
Useful properties of ozone
Does ozone purify the air? Yes, despite its gas is very beneficial for humans. In small concentrations, it is noted for its excellent disinfectant and deodorizing properties. In particular, it has a detrimental effect on harmful microorganisms and causes to be destroyed:
- viruses;
- various types of microbes;
- bacteria;
- fungi;
- microorganisms.
Most often, ozone is used during an influenza epidemic and outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases. With its help, water is purified from various kinds of impurities and iron compounds, while enriching it with oxygen and minerals.
Interesting information about ozone, its scope
Excellent disinfectant properties and the absence of side effects have led to the emergence of demand for ozone and its widespread use in various sectors of the economy. Today, ozone is successfully used for:
- meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry;
- water purification in aquariums and fish farms;
- pool disinfection;
- medical purposes;
- cosmetic procedures.
In the medical industry, ozonation is practiced for ulcers, burns, eczema, varicose veins, wounds and dermatological diseases. In cosmetology, ozone is used to combat skin aging, cellulite and excess weight.
The effect of ozone on the vital activity of living beings
What is ozone? How does it affect life on Earth? According to scientists, 10% of ozone is in the troposphere. This ozone is an integral component of smog and acts as a pollutant. It adversely affects the respiratory organs of people, animals and slows down the growth of plants. However, its amount is very small to significantly harm health. A significant part of the harmful ozone in the composition of smog is the products of the functioning of cars and power plants.
Much more ozone (about 90%) is in the stratosphere. This one absorbs the biologically harmful ultraviolet radiation of the Sun, thereby protecting people, flora and fauna from negative consequences.
What is the importance of the ozone layer in maintaining life on Earth, you will learn from this article.
The importance of ozone for life on Earth
Ozone is a substance that contains a molecule consisting of 3 oxygen atoms. Under normal weather conditions, it is a bluish gas. When a decrease in temperature is observed, the ozone passes into a liquid phase with an indigo color. Being in solid form, this substance forms dark blue or even black crystals. Ozone has a characteristic odor and is easy to feel after a thunderstorm. This term was introduced into scientific circulation by the German chemist Schönbein in 1840.
Above the Earth's surface, ozone creates a unique ozone layer at an altitude of 20-40 km. It was formed under the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere and has great importance in the lives of all living beings on the planet.
The ozone layer and its importance
The significance of the ozone layer for the biosphere is that it absorbs rays from outer space that are harmful to animals and human health. It is a kind of filter that delays the electromagnetic and ultraviolet radiation of the sun. But today, the destruction of the ozone layer is observed, through emissions of freon into the atmosphere - organic matter which makes holes in it. As a result, its protective actions are noticeably worsened. Every spring, over Antarctica, a hole the size of the United States forms in the ozone layer.
The depletion of the ozone layer affects the climate. Since it retains heat dissipated from the surface of the planet, a decrease in its level leads to a change in the direction of the prevailing winds and weather. In the future on Earth, scientists predict crop failures, droughts, food shortages and famine. And such a sad picture, if no action is taken, will come in 100 years.
The effect of the ozone layer on living organisms
Life on Earth would be different if the three millimeter thin ozone layer did not protect it. If the ozone screen disappeared today, then life could exist only deep under water or in the waters of the oceans.
As we said above, the ozone layer absorbs short-wave harmful ultraviolet rays. A decrease in its concentration has a detrimental effect on living organisms. A variety of pathologies are observed in humans and animals: impaired pulmonary function, diseases of the immune and nervous systems, retinal and skin cancer. The increased impact of ultraviolet radiation is changing entire ecosystems, especially the life cycle of phytoplankton and terrestrial vegetation.
We hope that from this article you have learned how important ozone is for life.