Chemical Properties
colourless gas or dark blue liquid.
Uses
As disinfectant for air and water by virtue of its oxidizing power. For bleaching waxes, textiles, oils. In organic syntheses. Forms ozonides which are sometimes useful oxidizing Compounds.
General Description
A colorless to bluish gas that condenses to a dark blue liquid, or blue-black crystals. Has a characteristic odor in concentrations less than 2 ppm. Used as a disinfectant for air and water; used for bleaching waxes, textiles and oils, ozonolysis of unsaturated fatty acids to pelargonic and other acids; manufacture of ink; catalyst; water treatment for taste and odor control; mold and bacteria inhibitor in cold storage; bleaching agent.
Reactivity Profile
Ozone is a propellant; ignites upon contact with alcohols, amines, ammonia, beryllium alkyls, boranes, dicyanogen, hydrazines, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, nitroalkanes, powdered metals, silanes, or thiols [Bretherick 1979. p.174]. Aniline in a atmosphere of Ozone produces a white galatinous explosive ozobenzene [Mellor 1:911. 1946-47]. A mixture of ether and Ozone forms aldehyde and acetic acid and a heavy liquid, ethyl peroxide, an explosive [Mellor 1:911. 1946-47]. Severe explosions occur attempting to form tribromic octaoxide from bromine and Ozone [Mellor 2, Supp. 1:748. 1956]. Mixtures of Ozone and dinitrogen pentaoxide are flammable or explosive [Mellor 8, Supp. 2:276. 1967]. Ozone and ethylene react explosively [Berichte 38:3837]. Nitrogen dioxide and Ozone react with the evolution of light, and often explode [J. Chem. Phys. 18:366 1920]. Contact of very cold liquefied gas with water may result in vigorous or violent boiling of the product and extremely rapid vaporization due to the large temperature differences involved. If the water is hot, there is the possibility that a liquid "superheat" explosion may occur. Pressures may build to dangerous levels if liquid gas contacts water in a closed container, [Handling Chemicals Safely 1980].
Health Hazard
Ozone is highly toxic via inhalation or by contact of liquid to skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. It is capable of causing acute to chronic lung damage, burns, and death or permanent injury. Ozone can be toxic at a concentration of 100 ppm for 1 minute. Ozone is capable of causing death from pulmonary edema. It increases sensitivity of the lungs to bronchoconstrictors and allergens, increases susceptibility to and severity of lung bacterial and viral infections.
Fire Hazard
Severe explosion hazard when shocked, exposed to heat or flame, or by chemical reaction with organic substances, especially reducing agents. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent. Incompatible with alkenes; aromatic compounds; benzene, rubber; bromine; dicyanogen; diethyl ether; dinitrogen tetroxide; hydrogen bromide; 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-1,6-heptadiene; nitrogen trichloride; stibine; tetrafluorohydrazine. Avoid contact with organic materials.
Potential Exposure
Ozone is found naturally in the
atmosphere as a result of the action of solar radiation and
electrical storms. It is also formed around electrical
sources, such as X-ray or ultraviolet generators, electric
arcs; mercury vapor lamps; linear accelerators; and electrical discharges. Ozone is used as an oxidizing agent
in the organic chemical industry (e.g., production of azelaic
acid); as a disinfectant for air, mold and bacteria
inhibitor for food in cold storage rooms, and for water
(e.g., public water supplies; swimming pools; and sewage
treatment); for bleaching textiles; waxes, flour, mineral
oils, and their derivatives; paper pulp; starch, and sugar;
for aging liquor and wood; for processing certain perfumes;
vanillin, and camphor; in treating industrial
wastes; in the rapid drying of varnishes and printing
inks; and in the deodorizing of feathers.
First aid
If this chemical gets into the eyes, remove any
contact lenses at once and irrigate immediately for at least
15 minutes, occasionally lifting upper and lower lids. Seek
medical attention immediately. If this chemical contacts the
skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash immediately
with soap and water. Seek medical attention immediately.
If this chemical has been inhaled, remove from exposure,
begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions, including
resuscitation mask) if breathing has stopped and CPR if
heart action has stopped. Transfer promptly to a medical
facility. Administer 100% O2. Medical observation is
recommended for 24-48 hours after breathing overexposure,
as pulmonary edema may be delayed. As first aid for
pulmonary edema, a doctor or authorized paramedic may
consider administering a drug or other inhalation therapy.
Shipping
UN1955 Compressed gas, toxic, n.o.s, Inhalation
Hazard Zone A, Hazard Class: 2.3; Labels: 2.3-Poisonousgas,
5.1-Oxidizer, Technical name required, Inhalation Hazard
Zone A. Cylinders must be transported in a secure upright
position, in a well-ventilated truck. Protect cylinder and labels
from physical damage. The owner of the compressed gas cylinder
is the only entity allowed by federal law (49CFR) to
transport and refill them. It is a violation of transportation regulations
to refill compressed gas cylinders without the express
written permission of the owner.
Incompatibilities
A powerful oxidizer. A severe explosion
hazard when exposed to shock or heat, especially solid or liquid
form. Spontaneously decomposes to oxygen under ordinary
conditions; heating increases oxygen production. Reacts
with all reducing agents; combustibles, organic, and inorganic
oxidizable materials; and can form products that are highly
explosive. Incompatible with alkenes, aniline, benzene, bromine,
ether, ethylene, and hydrogen bromide; nitric oxide; stibine.
Attacks metals except gold and platinum.
Description
Ozone in the upper layers of the atmosphere (stratosphere) is
formed by the reaction of O2 with the elemental oxygen formed
from the splitting of O2 by UV radiation. The ozone layer in the
stratosphere, though containing a relatively low amount of O3
relative to O2, absorbs UV radiation and serves to protect Earth
fromthe destructive andmutagenic properties of solarUV.Ozone
is more unstable than O2 and thus more reactive. Ground-level
ozone (troposphere) is formed largely fromthe reactionof the byproducts
of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels with
elemental oxygen present. Common industrial pollutants and car
exhaust by-products such asnitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon
oxides, and hydrocarbons are photochemically cleaved and then
react with the O2 present. Natural sources of tropospheric ozone
come from ozone migration from the stratosphere with average
concentration of about 10–20 ppb in nonurban areas. Tropospheric
ozone can be very harmful to human health, and people
with conditions such as emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, and
heart conditions are especially susceptible. Health effects from
ozone are due to its high reactivity resulting in reactions with
biological macromolecules and subsequent cellular damage. In
addition, ozone conversion to diatomic oxygen results in the
production of free oxygen radicals, which can also cause damage.
Due to the harmful health effects of ozone, theUS Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) among other government entities has
established exposure limits. The National Ambient Air Quality
Standards limit for ozone is 0.075 ppm, taken as the annual
fourth-highest dailymaximum8 h concentration, averaged over 3
years. Ozone exceeds its limit more often than all other regulated
air chemicals, and is in excess most frequently in California.
Waste Disposal
Vent to atmosphere. Use a
licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of
this material. All federal, state, and local environmental
regulations must be observed. Return refillable compressed
gas cylinders to supplier.
Physical properties
Ozone is an allotropic molecular form of oxygen containing three atoms of oxygen (O3).It is a much more powerful oxidizing agent than diatomic oxygen (O2) or monatomic oxygen(O). It is the second most powerful oxidizer of all the elements. Only fluorine is a strongeroxidizer. It is not colorless as is oxygen gas. Rather, ozone is bluish in the gaseous state, butblackish-blue in the liquid and solid states (similar to the color of ink).
Ozone’s boiling point is –112°C, and its freezing point is –192°C.
Origin of Name
From the Greek words oxys (which means sharp or acid) and gen
(which means forming); together they stand for “acid-forming.” In the eighteenth century,
it was believed that all acids contained oxygen.
Characteristics
Ozone has a very distinctive pungent odor. It exists in our lower atmosphere in very smalltrace amounts. In higher concentrations it is irritating and even poisonous. Ozone is in relativelylow concentrations at sea level. In the upper atmosphere, where it is more concentrated,it absorbs ultraviolet radiation, which protects the Earth and us from excessive exposure toultraviolet radiation.
Electrical discharges in the atmosphere produce small amounts of ozone. You can recognizethe odor when running electrical equipment that gives off sparks. Even toy electric trainscan produce ozone as they spark along the track. Ozone can be produced by passing dry airbetween two electrodes that are connected to alternating electric current with high voltage.Such a system is sometimes used to purify the air in buildings or provide ozone for commercialuses. Ozone is produced during the electrical discharges of lightning during storms. Thisis what makes the air seem so fresh after a thunderstorm or electrical storm. Besides beingproduced by electrical discharges, ozone is produced in the upper atmosphere or stratosphereby ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun strikingO2 molecules, breaking them down andreforming them as O3 molecules. The vast majority of ozone is produced in the atmosphereover the tropical latitudes because this area gets most of the radiation from more direct sunlight. Normal wind currents carry the ozone to the polar regions of the Earth where it isthickest.
History
It was once believed that air was a single element, but by the fifteenth century ce, scientistsbegan to question whether it was possibly at least two separate gases. Leonardo da Vinci wasone of the first to suggest the air consisted of at least two gases. He even determined that oneof them would support life and fire.
In 1839 Christian Friedrich Schonbein (1799–1868) discovered a gas with an unusualodor coming from some electrical equipment. He did not know what it was, but because ithad an odd smell, he called it “ozone,” after the Greek word for “I smell.” Although he knewthat it was a chemical substance, he mistakenly associated ozone with the halogens (group 17).Others before Schonbein had smelled the gas but had not recognized its importance. ThomasAndrews (1813–1885) and several other scientists, through different experiments, identifiedozone as a form of oxygen (an allotrope). It was not until 1868 that J. Louis Soret establishedthe formula to be O3.
Definition
A poisonous,
blue-colored allotrope of oxygen
made by passing oxygen through a silent
electric discharge. Ozone is unstable and
decomposes to oxygen on warming. It is
present in the upper layers of the atmosphere,
where it screens the Earth from
harmful short-wave ultraviolet radiation.
There is concern that the ozone layer is
possibly being depleted by the use of fluorocarbons
and other compounds produced
by industry.
Preparation
Ozone is generated from oxygen by passing an electric spark or silent electrical discharge through dry, and pure oxygen. This electrical discharge may be applied between two glass surfaces between which oxygen is passed. Many types of ozonizers (ozone generating apparatus) are known and commercially available for small-scale production of this gas for various uses. Ozone may be produced by electrolysis of chilled dilute sulfuric acid (e.g. 2.5N H2SO4) or perchloric acid at high current density (higher than that required to produce oxygen alone). A mixture of oxygen and ozone evolve at the anode.
Production Methods
Ozone (triatomic oxygen) is a light blue gas with a characteristic
odor (reminiscent to some individuals of an electrical
discharge such as lightening). Ozone was first
described in 1840 by Christian Friedrich Schonbein
[1799–1868], who produced it from phosphorus and electrolysis
of water. Schonbein also developed a colorimetric assay
involving starch and potassiumiodide-impregnated paper that
was widely used to measure atmospheric ozone concentrations.
Interestingly, Schonbein’s studies were interrupted
when he discovered the acute toxicity of ozone in 1851 and
noted that ozone caused “a really painful affection of the chest,
a sort of asthma, connected with a violent cough”.
Concern of ozone’s toxicity dates back to the mid-twentieth century, when it was recognized as a major air pollutant in
urban areas. Additional concerns arose in the 1980s and 1990s
regarding its depletion in the stratosphere.
Ozone can be found naturally in the troposphere during
electrical storms and in the stratosphere. Background levels
of ozone in nonurban areas average about 10–20 ppb and are
due mainly to intrusion of stratospheric ozone into the lower
atmosphere.
Reactions
Ozone reacts (1) with potassium iodide, to liberate iodine, (2) with colored organic materials, e.g., litmus, indigo, to destroy the color, (3) with mercury, to form a thin skin of mercurous oxide causing the mercury to cling to the containing vessel, (4) with silver film, to form silver peroxide, Ag2O2, black, produced most readily at about 250 C, (5) with tetramethyldiaminodiphenylmethane (CH3)2N·C6H4·CH2·C6H4·N(CH3)2, in alcohol solution with a trace of acetic acid to form violet color (hydrogen peroxide, colorless; chlorine or bromine, blue; nitrogen tetroxide, yellow). In contrast to hydrogen peroxide, ozone does not react with dichromate, permanganate, or titanic salt solutions. Ozone reacts with olefin compounds to form ozonide addition compounds. Ozonides are readily split at the olefinin-ozone position upon warming alone, or upon warming their solutions in glacial acetic acid, with the formation of aldehyde and acid compounds which can be readily identified, thus serving to locate the olefin position in oleic acid, C17H33·COOH, as midway in the chain (CH3(CH2)7CH:CH(CH2)7COOH. Ozone is used (1) as a bleaching agent, e.g., for fatty oils, (2) as a disinfectant for air and H2O, (3) as an oxidizing agent.
Hazard
High concentrations of ozone are a fire and explosion hazard when in contact with anyorganic substance that can be oxidized.
In moderately high concentrations ozone is very toxic when inhaled, and in lesser concentrations,it is irritating to the nose and eyes. Ozone in the lower atmosphere contributes to airpollution and smog. It can cause damage to rubber, plastics, and paints. These low concentrationscan cause headaches, burning eyes, and respiratory irritation. It is particular harmful toasthmatics and the elderly with respiratory problems.
Flammability and Explosibility
Ozone by itself is not flammable. Liquid ozone and concentrated solutions are
extremely hazardous and can explode on warming or when shocked.
Agricultural Uses
Ozone (O3) which is triatomic oxygen and measured in Dobson units, is a blue gas with pungent odor. Ozone is made by subjecting oxygen to a high-voltage electric discharge. It is used for killing germs, bleaching, removing unpleasant odors from food and sterilizing water. It is a powerful oxidizing agent and decomposes rapidly above 373°K.
The upper atmosphere contains a layer of ozone, formed when ultraviolet radiation acts on oxygen. It protects the earth from the sun's ultraviolet rays. In recent years there has been significant reduction in the amount of atmospheric ozone. This is due to the discharge of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) into the atmosphere (both the troposphere and the stratosphere),which are widely used in refrigeration, insulating foam, solvents, aerosol propellants, and chlorine and bromine gases. These remain in the atmosphere for long periods and destroy the ozone layer.
Scientists predict that as the ozone shield thins and allows more ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth, there could be an increased incidence of skin cancer and eye disease among humans, and could cause damage to marine life, crops and forests.
The Montreal Protocol, ratified by 183 countries (by 2002), called for freezing the use of chlorofluorocarbons at the 1986 level, and then rolling back the production in a phased manner. Developed countries have been responsible for the overwhelming contribution toward use of ozone depleting chemicals. With stronger political will, many countries have phased out use of most of the CFCs, halons, methyl bromide and other substances. Developing countries are committed to reducing their CFC production and consumption by 85% in 2007. Regular reviews by United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and other world bodies consider that implementation of the Montreal Protocol's provisions are on the right track. Data emerging out of such reviews suggests that atmospheric concentrations of CFCs have declined paving the way for a possible corresponding decrease in global warming. But on the other hand, use of other ozone-depleting substances such as HFC ( hydrofluorocarbons ) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) have been on the rise, causing concern on the future of the ozone layer.
More recent evidence reveals that the Antarctic ozone hole has increased in size and measures 10.6 million square miles. And although some scientists believe that this rate is not as rapid as during the 1980s and that a future Arctic polar ozone hole seems unlikely, many experts consider this as an issue that demands serious attention.
Carcinogenicity
Ozone has been positive as a
genotoxic substance in certain assay systems, but the results
are inconsistent. For example, in vitro
assays have noted that ozone can induce bacterial mutations,
plasmid DNA strand breakage, chromatid and chromosome
aberrations in lymphocytes, and a doubling of the frequency
of preneoplastic variants compared with control cultures.
However, in vivo assays of similar end points produced mixed
results. For example, alveolar macrophages
from rats exposed to 270–800 ppb ozone developed chromatid
damage, but no chromosomal changes. In human
subjects exposed to 500 ppb ozone (6–10 h), a slight increase
in sister chromatid exchange persisted for ≤6 weeks.
In contrast, no significant changes in chromosome or chromatid
breaks were observed in lymphocytes of subjects
exposed for 4 h to 400 ppb. Cultured human epidermal cells exposed to 500 ppb ozone for 10 min showed no evidence
of DNA strand breakage.
Other investigators have suggested that chronic ozone
exposure may facilitate the development of benign pulmonary
tumors (adenomas) in mice and other hyperplastic
nodules in the lungs of nonhuman primates.
As is true of hyperoxia, ozone exposure may enhance or
retard lung tumorigenesis by other agents in rodents, depending
on the exposure protocol.
Other investigators have suggested that in vitro assays
indicate ozone may exert indirect genotoxic effects. Ozone
has been purported to affect the integrity of immune system
defenses against tumor development and progression
(1073, 1074). In addition, arylamines found in tobacco
smoke (e.g., naphthylamine and toluidine isomers) can be
chemically altered by brief exposures (1 h) to 100–400 ppb
ozone. The unidentified stable products of this reaction cause
single-strand DNA breaks in cultured human lung cells
equivalent to that produced by 100 rad of irradiation.
However, an in vivo cocarcinogenicity study failed to find
similar effects.
Environmental Fate
Ozone formed from anthropogenic sources such as from car
vehicle emissions in the troposphere can travel long distances. Ozone formation and scavenging by other chemicals such as
NO is in constant daily flux. There are times when solar radiation
is high, such as on hot days or during rush hour, which
produces elevated ozone levels and times such as during the
evening when the rate of ozone scavenging exceeds ozone
production, resulting in less ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone
concentrations in the eastern United States are often more than
80 ppb in the warm spring and summer months, though ozone
levels in the western United States are lower.
storage
Work with ozone should be conducted in a fume hood to prevent
exposure by inhalation. Ozone is usually produced in the laboratory with a ozone generator,
and care should be taken to ensure adequate ventilation in the area where the ozone generation
equipment is located. Because of the possibility of the generation of explosive ozonides,
ozonolysis reactions should always be conducted in a fume hood behind a safety shield.
Toxicity evaluation
The biochemical mechanism of ozone-induced lung injury is
due to the reaction of the highly reactive O3 with biological
macromolecules such as protein, lipids, nucleic acids, and
carbohydrates. The resulting formation of reactive free-radical intermediates from the oxidization of thiol-containing amino
acids forms disulfide bonds and methionine sulfoxide. Polyunsaturated
fatty acids in cell membrane lipid bilayers are
a major target and react with the ozone to induce lipid peroxidation
to affect membrane fluidity and induce cellular
damage. Nucleic acids can also be affected by the oxidative
potential of ozone. The primary site of injury is the lung, and
the injury is characterized by pulmonary congestion, edema,
and hemorrhage. The area of the lung that is particularly
sensitive to ozone is the junction of the bronchioles and the
alveoli. Effects of ozone on lung function vary greatly between
individuals. Antioxidants present in the respiratory lining
protect against oxidative injury.