Chemist Jose Mario Molina and the Discovery of How Chlorofluorocarbons Affect the Ozone Layer

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Chemists are the specialists in chemistry, that interact with chemical properties, and reactions. The earth is made up of different gases. Some of this gases are needed for life in the planet but other gases can be harmful to the living. Gas’s use in regular quantities are favorable to the earth. The world started to become more advance and had to use more of this gases to produce everyday objects and inventions by men. Little did we knew this chemicals we going to affect us in our life. Chemist Jose Mario Molina actually discovered that chlorofluorocarbons were affecting the ozone layer. Mario Molina was born on March 19, 1943, in Mexico City. Molina was interested in science since a very young age that he created his own and personal chemistry lab in a bathroom at his house. Molina's aunt was a chemistry and figured out her nephew’s great interest in science. She was a key figure in his life because she helped him to perform chemistry experiments that weren't taught at his school. He completed his studies in Mexico and Germany before moving to the United States to achieve an advance degree in physical chemistry. At Berkeley University, Molina saw the connection of science on human life and society. He found that it was irrelevant the research some people were doing for the development of weapons that would not help society and other destructive purposes. Mario wanted to work on something that would benefit society. Molina wanted to made a difference and do something that helped the living not something that would destroy them. He found the interest on the chlorofluorocarbons that are used in refrigerators. In 1973, he joined with professor Sherwood Rowland to begin a research in chlorofluorocarbons. This chemicals were thought to be harmless to our environment but they were stored in the ozone layer and didn't know what happened to them. While doing his research Molina learned that these compounds move up to the ozone and stay there. He expected the compounds to be destroy by the solar radiation. However to his surprise he formed that chlorofluorocarbons would simplify into component element when exposed to radiation. This simplify components produce a highly concentration of pure chlorine atoms. From there he already knew that the ozone layer can be destroy with chlorine. The ozone layer is the one that protects living things from the pure ultraviolet rays of the sun.

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