For humans, ozone is toxic and, at high concentrations in the air, negatively affects the respiratory system. For many years, scientists have been concerned about the problem of ozone holes and ways to solve it.
History of the discovery of ozone
Ozone is a substance that is a modification of oxygen. Under normal conditions, it is a gas with a sharp specific odor and a blue tint. Ozone is an example of an allotropic modification. This is when the same chemical element forms molecules with such a different structure that new substances appear as a result. The difference between ozone and oxygen is the number of atoms. There are 2 of them in oxygen, and 3 in ozone.
Interesting fact: Ozone was first discovered in 1785, although it was not described as a substance. Discoverer Martin Van Marum (Dutch physicist) recognized him by the specific smell and oxidative properties of the air through which the electric charge passed. But then he took ozone as an electric matter. Translated from ancient Greek "ozone" means "smelling." The term was proposed in 1840 by chemist H. F. Schönbein. Therefore, many call it the discoverer.
The fact of the presence of a special ozone layer in the atmosphere was established much later. This happened in 1912, thanks to French physicists - Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. They studied ultraviolet radiation.Using spectroscopy (studying the spectra of different types of radiation), it was possible to prove that ozone is present in distant layers of the atmosphere. A subsequent study of this issue provided specialists with even more useful data on the ozone layer.
In particular, it was necessary to understand how high the ozone content in the atmosphere was. For this, in 1920, the British physicist Gordon Dobson invented a special device. Now it is named after the inventor - the Dobson ozone spectrum. There is a corresponding unit of measure for ozone - the Dobson unit, which is equivalent to 10 microns.
Gradually, experts found out how ozone is formed in the atmosphere. This is due to the interaction of ultraviolet solar radiation and oxygen. You can list the benefits of the ozone layer for a long time, but the main thing is that it provided life on Earth. If there was no ozone, the Earth would constantly be exposed to large doses of solar radiation and other cosmic effects. Life on our planet in such a form as it could now be.
Fighting ozone hole enlargement
The presence of ozone holes has long been proven. Also, scientists all over the world agreed on the cause of their occurrence, namely, the effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the atmosphere. As soon as the problem of ozone destruction became urgent, representatives of a large number of countries (all members of the UN and the European Union) signed a multilateral environmental agreement in March 1985 - the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.
In addition to it, the Montreal Protocol is attached, the essence of which is the removal from production of certain chemicals that destroy the ozone layer. It entered into force in 1989. The protocol has since been amended several times.
To reduce the emission of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere is the only way to reduce the destruction of the ozone layer. Ozone can be obtained artificially. For this, an ozonizer is used in industry - a special device. But, despite this, filling the holes with ozone is impossible. Firstly, ozone is characterized by unstable compounds and, over time, decomposes spontaneously.
Secondly, generating a sufficient amount of it and delivering it to the necessary layers of the atmosphere is almost impossible - the mass of ozone is about 3 billion tons. Thirdly, such a procedure requires a lot of money.
The main sources of chlorofluorocarbons are old household appliances containing freon, as well as aerosols. Modern manufacturers mark their products with special markings that indicate safety for the ozone layer.
Interesting fact: chemists F. Sh. Rowland, M. Molina and P. D. Krutzen proved that it is the chlorine molecules that cause the active destruction of ozone. Thanks to this, the whole world has learned that ozone holes are the result of human activity. In 1995, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their enormous contribution to the work on the problem of the destruction of the ozone layer.
Artificial production of ozone is quite possible and practiced in industry.However, it takes too much to fill holes. It is impossible to produce and deliver so much ozone to the stratosphere. In any case, it would have required a lot of money. Therefore, the only way to deal with ozone holes is to get rid of the root cause of their occurrence. The Montreal Protocol, signed by many countries in 1985, provides for the abandonment of the production of chemicals that destroy ozone.
