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- From: beatty@hpavla.lf.hp.com (Chris Beatty)
- Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:27:33 GMT
- Subject: Re: "What is OZONE", 6 year old's Science Project
- Message-ID: <12940002@hpavla.lf.hp.com>
- Organization: Hewlett-Packard Little Falls Site
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hplextra!hpcss01!hpwala!hpavla!beatty
- Newsgroups: sci.environment
- References: <1992Dec2.162932.17387@den.mmc.com>
- Lines: 44
-
-
- Richard and Bryan,
-
- I don't know if they like visitors, but there is a place to visit
- relevant to your ozone project that is in Boulder. It the National
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NAOA). They probably help
- with or at least track research about the Earth's ozone layer.
-
- As far as what it is:
-
- Oxygen that we breath is O2
-
- 0-0
-
- a diatomic (double) molecule
-
- Ozone looks like this
-
- O
- / \
- 0 - 0
-
- it's 03! It is unstable but continually generated by high energy
- sunlight hitting the upper part of the Earth's atmosphere. This
- process absorbs harmful rays before they hit us. Unfortunately,
- as you may know, we have harmed our ozone layer by destroying it faster
- than it's being made. Certain chemicals that we use (in refrigerators
- and cleaning solutions) that are not harmful to us are very bad
- for the ozone layer. The problem is particularly bad because a single
- molecule of this type of chemical( called CFC for chlorofluorocarbon)
- can destroy more than 100 ozone molecules.
-
- Ozone is also used here on the surface of the Earth as a bleach or
- disinfectant since it is very reactive and wants to go back to being
- O2 which is more stable.
-
- Good Luck on your project. Feel free to call or write if you have more
- questions.
-
-
- Chris Beatty
- Hewlett-Packard Little Falls (Formerly of Fort Collins)
- beatty@lf.hp.com
- 302-633-8638
-