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

Starting from the industrial revolution, our skill to revolutionize the world around us has become intense. Before, the impact on our planet was almost unnoticeable. Recently, the effects of our increased activity have created a noticeable impact to the world. We have thinned the ozone layer and may now be starting to change the very climate system upon which we and all other life on Earth depend on. It’s like we are experimenting with the future, but unlike lab experiments, we can scrap it and start a new one is it fails, but altering the climate cannot be easily undone.

James gratefully acknowledged the key role that Dalton played in his becoming a scientist. 'It was from his instruction that I first formed a desire to increase my knowledge by original researches', Joule said. When their father became ill, James and his brother took over running the brewery. James therefore did not have the opportunity to attend university. However, his great desire was to continue to study science, so he set up a laboratory in his home and began exper... ... middle of paper ... ...ral and Physical Sciences, issued in London in 1864.

In closing chemistry and technology has had a lot of involvement in society today. chemistry has changed how humans lived and helped understand the biology of life. Technology has helped people in society communicate travel and live in life. without natural resources we wouldn't have the things technology has provided for humans in society. also without important people such as Dimitri Mendeelev who discovered the periodic table of elements which helped people understand elements in life.

Its chemical formula is O3. It is formed when a molecule of oxygen is hit by ultraviolet radiation (UV), which disassociates the oxygen molecule into separate atoms. These atoms then combine with another molecule of oxygen making ozone. (Kunstmaan 1) Ozone is vitally important to the atmosphere and therefore, to us people down on earth’s surface. But we are depleting the amount of it that we still have with chlorofluorocarbons and other harmful gases.

Radiation with sufficient intensity, is capable of separating the O3 molecule, resulting in photodissociation. The cyclic process formation and decomposition of ozone provides a shield against ultraviolet radiation that enter the earth's atmosphere. If it were not for the chemical reaction of radiation and ozone in the stratosphere, these high-energy photons would penetrate the earth's surface. The ozone layer absorbers about 99% of the harmful radiation which makes it possible for animals and plants to live on the planet. In 1974, F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina of the University of California proposed that chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could deplete the ozone layer.

Man and the Ozone Ozone is perhaps one of the singularly most important molecules there is. No, not because man came from ozone, but because it forms a protective layer above the earth in it's stratosphere which allowed for the growth of life upon land. Before we had an ozone layer, the rays of the sun struck the earth unimpeded, barraging it with the deadly ultraviolet radiation which prohibited any chance of life on earth. However, there was life in the oceans, plant life in particular. This plant life may seem unimportant, especially since it is algae that is being given the spotlight.

Another one of the consequences of ozone layer depletion is that it will cause an increase in the risk of developing skin cancer. Man made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) cause a hole in the ozone. CFCs are halogens used in refrigerants, cleaning solvents, aerosol propellants, and blowing agents. CFCs do not affect the lower parts of the atmosphere, such as the troposphere, it only affects the stratosphere; the stratosphere is the layer of the ozone layer that protects earth from UV radiation. (Freedman, 857-858) According to research done by Bill Freedman, “Once formed in the stratosphere by the degradation of a CFC molecule, a single chlorine atom is capable of destroying as many as 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the upper atmosphere.” (Freedman, 2935) This shows the damage that even a very small amount of chlorofluorocarbons can do; one hundred thousand molecules of the ozone layer are destroyed by one single CFC molecule.

. The history of air conditioning and refrigeration: Before 20th century, most efforts were ineffective and people tried many things to provide the comfort of cool, till Leonardo Da Vince designed a mechanical fan and it was used in industrial settings. Then, an engineer named Stuart Cramer, he likes the idea of the latest system of controlling the heat and humidity and he improved it and called it “air conditioning” in 1906. One year later, air-conditioning equipment designed by Witten Meier was installed in movie theatres and hotels. And in 1927, General Electric introduces the first refrigerator to be mass-produced with a completely sealed refrigerating system and it was one of a kind.

Arguably the most important contributions Leeuwenhoek made to the field of science were those that directly contested the long-standing theory of spontaneous generation. Using his own techniques, the details of which are a mystery to this very day, he was able to discover the truth behind the lifecycles of numerous creatures believed to spontaneously generate from organic material, such as fleas and granary weevils. 2. Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur was a French chemist who was born on December 27th, 1822. Most of his study was done in Paris, where he acquired a doctorate in science in 1847.

The ozone layer is a key component to all life on earth. The ozone layer is up in the stratosphere protecting us from the harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. Without the ozone layer, detrimental effects can range from premature aging in the skin to multiple types of skin cancer. In this project, I will be discussing ozone depletion. I will be talking about ozone depletion causes, changes, effects, and the future of ozone depletion.