Ozone is a naturally occurring molecule composed of three oxygen atoms. On Earth ozone is found forming a ring that surrounds the planet, also known as the ozone layer or ozonosphere.
For ozone to be produced, there needs to be sufficient excitation for the oxygen molecule to break down into atoms and collide with each other. In the stratosphere, it is the ultraviolet rays of the Sun that dissociate the O2 molecule.
The structure of ozone is as follows:
Each oxygen atom has two single bonds. Because the double bonds are stronger than the single bonds, the natural tendency is for the molecule to change or transform from O3 to O2 to O-.
Ozone (O3) is therefore an allotropic form of oxygen, i.e., it is the result of the rearrangement of oxygen atoms when the molecules are subjected to an electric discharge. It is therefore the most active form of oxygen.
Molecular oxygen is the gas we breathe and need to live, atomic oxygen is highly oxidizing, so it has antiseptic properties that are very important for life on Earth.
Due to its higher molecular weight, ozone falls towards the Earth and is distributed throughout the atmosphere, purifying water and air. Therefore, O3
occurs naturally around sea breakers, waterfalls and after weather storms. The smell of ozone at the seashore is very peculiar.
Thus O3 protects us by acting as a filter of solar radiation (absorbing most of the sun’s ultraviolet rays) as well as purifying and eliminating pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, molds, spores … ensuring life on Earth.
Would it be possible to use some of these properties of ozone for the benefit of human health?
To be continued…
