Depletion of the Ozone Layer

Depletion of the Ozone Layer

• The stratospheric ozone layer protects Earth
from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
• The depletion of this layer is due to human
technology
• Enviromental scientist have traced the
problem widely used group of chemiclas: the
CFS
 Radiation and Importance of the
Shield
• Solar radiation emits electromagnetic waves
with a wide range of enrgies and wavelengths
• On penetrating the atmosphere and being
absorbed by biological tissue, UV damages
protein and DNA molecules at the surfaces of
all living things.
• We are spared more damaging effects from
UV rays because most UV radiation (over 99%)
is absorbed by ozone in the stastosphere.
• Less than 1% of UV radiation that dies reach
us is responsible for sunburns and more than
700000 cases of skin cancer, as well as
damage to plant crops and other life forms.
 Formation and Breakdown of the
Shield

• (3) O + O3  O2 + O2
 Halogens in the Atmosphere
• CFS are the type of Halogened Hydrocarbon
• CFSs are nonreactive, nonflamable, nontoxic
organic molacles in which both chlorine and
fluorine atoms have replaced some hydrogens
atoms.
• At room temperature CFCs are gases under
normal (atmospheric) pressure, but they liquefy
under modest pressure, given off heat in the
process and becoming cold. When they
revaporize, they reabsorb the heat and become
hot.
 Rowland & Molina
• Rowland & Molina concludes that CFCs could
damage the strstopheric ozone layer through the
release of chlorine atomss and, as a result, would
increase UV radiation.
(5) CFCl3 + UV  Cl + CFCl2
• Chlorine Catalytic Reactions
(6) Cl + O3  ClO + O2
(7) ClO + ClO  2Cl + O2