What is the substance known as ozone?
We know of 103 chemical elements, and their 103 different atoms are charted on the periodic table. The substance known as ozone is rated as an element, but it does not rate a slot of its own on this orderly chart. And it has more contrary puzzles for us to ponder. An extra smidgen of ozone adds a peppy note to the air, but in pure form it can ruin the lungs. It has a strong pungent odor, yet it can deodorize the strong pungent sme11s of a meat market. It is rated as a poison and also as a purifier of food and water. Add to these contradictions the fact that it is an element not named on the periodic table of elements, and ozone appears to be a substance with a split personality. The atom from which ozone is made, however, is described on the periodic tab1e in the slot marked 0 for oxygen. It is an allotrope of oxygen, and allotropes are different forms of the same element or compound. The atoms of ozone and oxygen are identical. Oxygen is very active, always eager to combine and form m
