Molecular Structure of Ozone
Ozone is a gas made up of three (3) atoms of oxygen:
O + O + O = O3
Oxygen (we breathe) is made up of two (2) atoms of oxygen:
O + O = O2
The atoms in O2 are stable – each atom “holds on” to the other.
The atoms in O3 consist of a stable pair (O2) and a third, unstable atom.
It is the unstable atom that gives ozone its power! Ozone is generated when energy “splits” the stable O2 bond.
This can occur three different ways:
- Naturally occurring
–Formed when lightning strikes
–Ozone layer formed by UV energy from the sun
- Man made (incidental)
–Welding, copy machines
- Man made (deliberate)
–Corona Discharge ozone generation
–UV ozone generation