Consider the following statements related to ozone: 1. Tropospheric ozone is harmful 2. Stratospheric ozone is beneficial 3. During prevalence smog, O3 is formed Which of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements related to ozone: 1. Tropospheric ozone is harmful 2. Stratospheric ozone is beneficial 3. During prevalence smog, O3 is formed Which of the above statements are correct? Correct Answer 1, 2 and 3
Concept:
Tropospheric ozone (or Ground level ozone): Tropospheric ozone is formed by the interaction of sunlight, particularly ultraviolet light, with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which are emitted by automobile tailpipes and smokestacks. In the troposphere, near ground-level, ozone molecules are both air pollutants, threatening the health of living things, and greenhouse gases, trapping heat and contributing to climate change. That is why tropospheric ozone is harmful.
Stratospheric ozone: In the stratosphere, ozone molecules play an important role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun and shielding earth from dangerous rays. As stratospheric ozone prevents most of the high energy ultraviolet solar radiation from reaching the earth's surface, it is regarded as beneficial.
Smog Formation: Smog is produced when sunlight reacts with oxides of nitrogen and at least one volatile organic compound (VOC) in the atmosphere. The chemical formation of air borne particles and ground level ozone forms in the sunlight. The chemical mechanism of formation of smog is following: