Ozone, O3, is a very reactive form of oxygen. It's structural formula = O - O. The structure of normal atmospheric oxygen is O = O. When ozone reacts it releases a free oxygen. Using knowledge of chemistry why is the ozone so reactive?
2006-09-29 12:55:28 · 2 answers · asked by Nurse2b 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Ozone is triatomic oxygen and for that reason it is
highly reactive, can explode on contact with organic substances and strong reducing agents.
Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent and oxidation with ozone evolves more heat and usually starts at a lower temperature than oxidation with oxygen. It reacts with non-saturated organic compounds to produce ozonides, which are unstable and may decompose with explosive violence. Ozone is an unstable gas which, at normal temperatures, decomposes to biatomic oxygen. At elevated temperatures and in the presence of certain catalysts such as hydrogen, iron, copper and chromium, this decomposition may be explosive.
2006-09-29 13:01:19 · answer #1 · answered by loligo1 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi. The O3 molecule is like a free radical in that the "extra" O atom wants to combine with anything "willing" to donate an electron.
2006-09-29 19:58:36 · answer #2 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋