Ozone

ozone particle

El ozone (O3) is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. It is formed when oxygen molecules get excited enough to break down into two different energy levels of atomic oxygen, and the collision between different atoms is the cause of ozone. It is an allotrope of oxygen, that is, it is the result of the rearrangement of oxygen atoms when the molecules are discharged. Therefore, it is the most active form of oxygen.

In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about ozone, its characteristics and importance for life.

What is ozone

gas disinfection

Ozone is a gaseous compound with a blue hue. In liquid state, It is indigo blue at temperatures below -115ºC.In its essence, ozone is highly oxidizing, so it is responsible for disinfecting, purifying and eliminating pathogenic microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, molds, spores, etc.

Ozone can eliminate the bad smell by directly attacking the cause of the bad smell (the smelly substance) and does not add any other odors like air fresheners to try to cover it up. Unlike other disinfectants, ozone is an unstable gas that will rapidly decompose into oxygen under the action of light, heat, electrostatic shocks, etc.., so it will not leave chemical residues.

Ozonization is any treatment that uses ozone. The main applications of this treatment are environmental disinfection and deodorization and water treatment and purification. In this way, pathogenic microorganisms and odors can be eliminated.

Ozone can be produced artificially by an ozone generator or an ozone generator. These devices draw oxygen into the air to the inside and generate a voltage discharge across the electrodes (called the "corona effect"). This download separates the two atoms that make up the oxygen particles, which in turn combines three or three of these atoms to form a new molecule called ozone (O3).

Therefore, ozone represents the most active form of oxygen, made up of three oxygen atoms, which can combat pathogenic and / or harmful organic compounds (the main component of environmental pollution).

Uses

uses of ozone

It may be the most important characteristic of ozone and it has more applications. Microorganisms are any form of life that the human eye cannot see and requires a microscope to view them. Microorganisms called pathogens are those that can cause infectious diseases. They tend to remain on all types of surfaces, all types of fluids, or float in the air, accompanied by small dust particles, especially in closed places where the air is renewed very slowly.

Due to its oxidizing properties, ozone is considered one of the fastest and most effective microbicides known, capable of acting on a large number of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores. All of these are responsible for human health problems and unpleasant odors.

Ozone inactivates these microorganisms by reacting with intracellular enzymes, nucleic acid substances and their cell envelopes, spores and viral capsids. Thus, Due to the destruction of genetic material, microorganisms cannot mutate and develop resistance to this treatment. The role of ozone is to oxidize the particles in the cell membrane to ensure that they do not reappear.

Ozone treatment is odorless, so it is not only responsible for disinfecting and neutralizing any type of odor, but it also does not imply specific odors at the end of use. It should be noted that ozone does not produce any waste, as it is an unstable particle, it tends to return to its original form, oxygen (O2), therefore, respecting the environment and products, and ensuring the well-being of people.

Another function of ozone is that it can eradicate any type of unpleasant odor without leaving a residue. This type of treatment is very useful in closed spaces where the air cannot be constantly renewed. In this type of space, if a large number of people enter, unpleasant odors (tobacco, food, humidity, sweat, etc.) will be produced due to the effects of suspended molecules and different microorganisms in it.

There are two causes of ozone attack: on the one hand, it oxidizes organic matter, except by attacking it through ozone, and on the other hand, it attacks the microorganisms that feed on it. Ozone can attack a variety of odors. It all depends on the nature of the substance that causes the smell. Based on this property, you can determine your vulnerability to ozone and the dose required to de-ozone.

Ozone layer

ozone layer

Ozone is an important protector of life on the Earth's surface. This is due to its function as a protective filter against ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Ozone is responsible for absorbing mainly the rays of the Sun that are in the wavelength between 280 and 320 nm.

When the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun hits the ozone, the molecule breaks down into atomic oxygen and common oxygen. When common and atomic oxygen meet again in the stratosphere they rejoin to form an ozone molecule. These reactions are constant in the stratosphere and ozone and oxygen coexist at the same time.

Ozone is produced mainly when oxygen molecules receive a large amount of energy. When this happens, these molecules turn into atomic oxygen radicals. This gas is extremely unstable, so when it meets another common oxygen molecule, it will combine to form ozone. This reaction occurs every two seconds or so.

In this case, the energy source of ordinary oxygen is ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ultraviolet radiation is the cause of the decomposition of molecular oxygen into atomic oxygen. When atoms and molecules of molecular oxygen meet and form ozone, it is destroyed by the ultraviolet radiation itself.

The ozone layer is continuously creating and destroying ozone molecules, molecular oxygen and atomic oxygen. In this way, a dynamic equilibrium is generated in which ozone is destroyed and formed. This is how ozone acts as a filter that does not let this harmful radiation pass to the surface of the Earth.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about ozone and its characteristics.


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