What is Ozone?
Ozone is a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen. Two atoms of oxygen form the basic oxygen molecule–the oxygen we breathe that is essential to life. The third oxygen atom can detach from the ozone molecule, and re-attach to molecules of other substances, thereby altering their chemical composition. It is this ability to react with other substances that forms the basis of manufacturers’ claims.
Ozone is a molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms (O3), with a delta negative and a delta positive electric charge. The ozone molecule is very unstable and has a short half-life. Therefore, it will decay after some time into its original form: oxygen (O2, according reaction presented below) 2O3 ⇋ 3O2 In essence ozone is nothing more than oxygen (O2), with an extra oxygen atom, formed by an electric high charge an extra oxygen atom. In nature ozone is produced by some chemical reactions. The most familiar example is of course the ozone layer, where ozone is produced from the suns ultra-violet (UV) rays. But ozone is also produced at thunderstorms and waterfalls. The extreme high voltages attended with thunderstorms produce ozone from oxygen. The special fresh, clean, spring rain smell is a result from nature-produced ozone. Ozone derives from the Greek word ozein, which means to smell. Ozone is only produced under extreme circumstances. This can also be created by ozone generators
Ozone is a colorless gas of molecules composed of three oxygen atoms (O3). The oxygen that we need to breathe has molecules of two oxygen atoms (O2). Ozone is almost always present in the air — it is created by natural processes such as the sun’s ultraviolet radiation in the upper atmosphere and by lightning. It is also created by automobile exhaust, some industrial activities and office equipment such as photocopiers and laser printers. The word “ozone” is derived from the Greek word for “smell” because its odor can be detected at very low levels, as low as 0.0076 parts-per-million (ppm).1 Ozone has a sweet, clover-like odor at low concentrations, similar to the odor after a lightning storm. Ozone is classified as a pollutant by most regulatory authorities, but unlike most pollutants, the ozone molecule is unstable and rapidly (within minutes) reverts to the more stable oxygen molecule.
