Ozone, depletion reactions

Ozone can react rapidly with NO to produce NO2, which re-enters the ozone formation cycle O3 + NO — O2 + NO2. This is the main ozone-depleting reaction in the absence of sunlight. Ozone also reacts with NO2 (to form NO, which in turn reacts with NO2 to form N20 ), as... 

The ozone-depleting reaction involves a rather complicated series of reactions, all of which occur in the gas phase. Equation (8.14) describes the rate-determining step ... 

Theoretical and experimental studies of the interactions between water molecules and hydrogen chloride are of fundamental importance for the understanding of the production of stratospheric chlorine molecules which, in turn, take part in the catalytic ozone depletion reactions. This mainly heterogeneous atmospheric reaction begins with the adsorption of the HCl molecules on the surface of water icicles is the source of the stratospheric chlorine atoms in the polar regions380 - 382. Chlorine molecules are photolysed by solar radiation and the resultant chlorine atoms take part in the destruction of the stratospheric ozone. The study of the (H20) HC1 clusters is an important step towards understanding of the behavior of the HCl molecule on the ice surface383- 386. 

Substances with xenobiotic bonds are not necessarily more toxic than those without them. The aflatoxins (mycotoxins that are produced by Aspergillusflavus) are the most carcinogenic substances known but lack xenobiotic bonds, whereas the synthetic Freons are almost biologically inert but are also very stable. (They escape the lower atmosphere, reaching the stratosphere, where they are split into free radicals that react and destroy ozone, which helps to shield the Earth from too much ultraviolet light. These ozone-depleting reactions have dramatic environmental effects, but the direct toxicity of the Freons is modest.)... 

In the Antarctic winter vortex, vertical transport within the vortex as well as horizontal transport across the boundaries of the vortex is slower than the characteristic time for the ozone-depleting reactions. The local rate of loss of ozone can be approximated as that of the rate-determining step ... 

There are no naturally occurring CFCs, but some natural sources contribute chlorine and bromine to the atmosphere, and, just like halogens from CFC, these naturally occurring Cl and Br atoms can participate in ozone-depleting reactions. The principal natural sources are methyl bromide and methyl chloride, which are emitted from the oceans. It is estimated that these molecules contribute less than a third of the total Cl and Br in the atmosphere the remaining two-thirds is a result of human activities. 

Production of hydrogen fluoride from reaction of Cap2 with sulfuric acid is the largest user of fluorspar and accounts for approximately 60—65% of total U.S. consumption. The principal uses of hydrogen fluoride are ia the manufacture of aluminum fluoride and synthetic cryoHte for the Hall aluminum process and fluoropolymers and chlorofluorocarbons that are used as refrigerants, solvents, aerosols (qv), and ia plastics. Because of the concern that chlorofluorocarbons cause upper atmosphere ozone depletion, these compounds are being replaced by hydrochlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. 

Effect of Hydroxyl Radicals on Ozone Depletion. Hydroxyl radicals, formed by reaction of ( D) oxygen atoms with water or CH, can destroy ozone catalyticahy (11,32) as shown in the following reactions. 

Because of the expanded scale and need to describe additional physical and chemical processes, the development of acid deposition and regional oxidant models has lagged behind that of urban-scale photochemical models. An additional step up in scale and complexity, the development of analytical models of pollutant dynamics in the stratosphere is also behind that of ground-level oxidant models, in part because of the central role of heterogeneous chemistry in the stratospheric ozone depletion problem. In general, atmospheric Hquid-phase chemistry and especially heterogeneous chemistry are less well understood than gas-phase reactions such as those that dorninate the formation of ozone in urban areas. Development of three-dimensional models that treat both the dynamics and chemistry of the stratosphere in detail is an ongoing research problem. 

This process does not lead to net ozone depletion because it is rapidly followed by reaction 2, which regenerates the ozone. Reactions 2 and 3 have, however, another important function, namely the absorption of solar energy as a result, the temperature increases with altitude, and this inverted temperature profile gives rise to the stratosphere (see Figure 1). In the lower layer, the troposphere, the temperature decreases with altitude and vertical mixing occurs on a relatively short time scale. In contrast, the stratosphere is very stable towards vertical mixing because of its inverted temperature profile. 

The chlorine-containing product species (HCl, CIONO2, HOCl) are "inert reservoirs" because they are not directly involved in ozone depletion however, they eventually break down by absorbing solar radiation or by reaction with other free radicals, returning chlorine to its catalytically active form. Ozone is formed fastest in the upper stratosphere at tropical latitudes (by reactions 1 and 2), and in those regions a few percent of the chlorine is in its active "free radical" form the rest is in the "inert reservoir" form (see Figure 3). 

In order to estimate the extent of ozone depletion caused by a given release of CFCs, computer models of the atmosphere are employed. These models incorporate information on atmospheric motions and on the rates of over a hundred chemical and photochemical reactions. The results of measurements of the various trace species in the atmosphere are then used to test the models. Because of the complexity of atmospheric transport, the calculations were carried out initially with one-dimensional models, averaging the motions and the concentrations of chemical species over latitude and longitude, leaving only their dependency on altitude and time. More recently, two-dimensional models have been developed, in which the averaging is over longitude only. 

A detailed analysis of the atmospheric measurements over Antarctica by Anderson et al. (19) indicates that the cycle comprising reactions 17 -19 (the chlorine peroxide cycle) accounts for about 75% of the observed ozone depletion, and reactions 21 - 23 account for the rest. While a clear overall picture of polar ozone depletion is emerging, much remains to be learned. For example, the physical chemistry of the acid ices that constitute polar stratospheric clouds needs to be better understood before reliable predictions can be made of future ozone depletion, particularly at northern latitudes, where the chemical changes are more subtle and occur over a larger geographical area. 

The ozone hole would almost certainly be much worse if chemists had not studied the reactions of CFCs with atmospheric gases before ozone depletion was discovered. The 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to the three pioneers in this effort. A German chemist, Paul Crutzen, discovered how ozone concentration is regulated in a normal stratosphere, while two Americans, F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, showed that CFCs can destroy ozone. These studies of molecular reactions allowed quick determination that CFCs are a likely cause of ozone depletion and led to the international restrictions described above. 

An overview of the reactions involving trihalomethanes (haloforms) CHXYZ, where X, Y, and Z are halogen atoms, has been given in the context of ozone depletion (Hayman and Derwent 1997). Interest in the formation of trichloroacetaldehyde formed from trichloroethane and tetrachloroethene is heightened by the phytotoxicity of trichloroacetic acid (Frank et al. 1994), and by its occurrence in rainwater that seems to be a major source of this contaminant (Muller et al. 1996). The situation in Japan seems, however, to underscore the possible significance of other sources including chlorinated wastewater (Hashimoto et al. 1998). Whereas there is no doubt about the occurrence of trichloroacetic acid in rainwater (Stidson et al. 2004), its major source is unresolved since questions remain on the rate of hydrolysis of trichloroacetaldehyde (Jordan et al. 1999). 

A mechanism of action describes the molecular sequence of events (covalent or non-covalent) that lead to the manifestation of a response. The complete elucidation of the reactions and interactions among and between chemicals, include very complex and varied situations including biological systems (macromolecular receptors, physical phenomena (thermodynamics of explosions) or global systems (ozone depletion). Unfortunately, this level of mechanistic detail is often unavailable but recent advances in molecular toxicology and others hazards, at the molecular level, have provided valuable information that elucidates key steps in a mechanism or mode of action. ... 

The kinetics of reactions such as those leading to ozone depletion are treated in greater depth in subsequent sections. 

Amorphous fluoropolymers have many applications in the areas of advanced materials where they are used in applications requiring thermal and chemical resistance. Their manufacture is hindered by their low solubility in many solvents. Many fluoropolymerizations cannot be carried out in hydrocarbon solvents because the radical abstraction of hydrogen atoms leads to detrimental side reactions. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were thus commonly used, but their use is now strictly controlled due to their ozone depleting and greenhouse gas properties. Supercritical carbon dioxide is a very attractive alternative to CFCs and it has been shown that amorphous fluoropolymers can be synthesized by... 

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