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The overlap of ground level radiation with the sunburn sensitivity curve would be much greater without the filtering effects of the ozone layer.
What is ozone?
Ozone is a stable molecule composed of three oxygen atoms.
O O O
While stable, it is highly reactive. The Greek word ozein means to smell and O3 has a strong pungent odor. Electric discharges in air often produce significant quantities of O3 and you may have smelled O3 near these sources.
Chapman Theory
a) O2+ hv (<242nm) -> 2O b) O+O2+M -> O3+M c) O3 + hv (<320nm) O +O2 d) O + O32O2 Destruction formation
Steady-state O3 concentration
k a kb [M ] 1/ 2 [O3] ( ) [O 2] kc kd
Chapman theory describes how sunlight converts the various forms of oxygen from one to another, explains why the highest content of ozone occur in the layer between 15 and 50 km, termed the ozone layer
Net reaction
X is a regenerated in the process act as a catalyst. The chain reaction continues until X is removed by some side reaction.
HOx cycle
ClOx cycle
NOx cycle
Hydroxy radical
Accounts for nearly one-half of the total ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere (16-20 km). Sources O3 + hv (<325nm) = O2 + O1D (2%) = O2 + O3P (98%) O1D + H2O = 2 .OH (major) O1D + CH4 = .OH +CH3. (minor) Termination reaction .OH + NO2 HNO3
Chlorine atom
Sources: Photolysis of Cl-containing compounds in the stratosphere. CFCl3 + hv (185-210nm) CFCl2. + Cl. CF2Cl2 + hv (185-210nm) CF2Cl. + Cl. Subsequent reactions of CFCl2 and CF2Cl more Cl atoms The principal Cl-containing species are: CF2Cl2, CFCl3, CFCl2, CF2Cl, CCl4, CH3CCl3, CF2HCl, CH3Cl Sources for Cl-containing compounds (need to be longlived in the troposphere) Man-made: e.g. CFCs Natural: e.g. methyl chloride from biomass burning.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
CFCs is the abbreviated form of ChloroFluoroCarbons, a collective name given to a series of compounds containing chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms. Examples: CFCl3, CF2Cl2, and CF2ClCFCl2. Related names HCFCs: Hydrochloroflorocarbons, halocarbons containing hydrogen atoms in addition to chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms. HFCs: hydroflorocarbons, halocarbons containing atoms of hydrogen in addition to fluorine and carbon atoms. Perhalocarbons: halocarbons in which every available carbon bond contains a haloatoms. Halons: bromine-containing halocarbons, especially used as fire extinguishing agents.
Nitric oxide
NO is produced abundantly in the troposphere, but all of it is converted into NO2 HNO3 (removed through precipitation) NO in the stratosphere produced from nitrous oxide (N2O), which is much less reactive than NO. N2O + hv N2 + O (90%) N2O + O 2 NO (~10%)
Removal processes:
The catalytic destruction reactions described so far, together with the Chapman cycle, account for the observed average levels of stratospheric ozone, they are unable to account for the ozone hole over Antarctica.
The ozone depletion in the Antarctica is limited both regionally and seasonally. The depletion is too great and too sudden. These observations can not be explained by catalytic O3 destruction by ClOx alone.