some people want to build cars that don't burn gasoline. they say there is too much carbon dioxide emitted in the exhaust. they also say they want to save the ozone. we are all friends on this blog site, so let me be totally honest with you. carbon dioxide does not deplete ozone...
but let's first start at the beginning. do you even know what ozone is? ozone is a triatomic oxygen molecule (O3). it is formed in the atmosphere when uv light from the sun reacts with diatomic (O2) oxygen molecules (what we need to breathe in order to survive). a photon of wavelength less than 240 nanometers (nm) will strike the bond between the two oxygen atoms in O2 forming two free radical oxygen atoms. these will then react with other O2 molecules forming two O3 molecules, ozone. when ozone is struck with photons of wavelength 200-310nm the molecule will break apart, forming an O2 molecule and a free radical oxygen atom which could potentially react with another free radical oxygen atom resulting in another O2 molecule. we could metaphorically explain this as a battle between ozone and O2.
there's a chemical compound called nitric oxide (nitric oxide is a highly celebrated compound receiving recognition as molecule of the year in 1992). nitric oxide is emitted in the exhaust from gasoline-burning engines. it acts as a catalyst in the conversion of ozone back to O2. thus, the more nitric oxide present in the atmosphere, the less ozone and more O2 is present.
[i would add parenthetically that plants do not 'breathe' oxygen (O2), they 'breathe' carbon dioxide (in fact, they 'exhale' oxygen(O2)). they will not survive without carbon dioxide.]
well if i have learned anything from chemistry it's that ozone is a non-living, non-feeling chemical compound and i must add that it is poisonous to humans. ozone robs our atmosphere of our precious oxygen (O2). then we have these people wanting to limit carbon dioxide and nitric oxide emissions, and inadvertently, i am sure, stifling our poor plants, which are beautiful to see, and another source of our precious oxygen. limiting nitric oxide emissions will slow down the conversion of deadly ozone to lovely O2.
so let's sum this all up: people want to decrease O2 which we need to live and increase O3 which is poisonous...
we must act, and we must act now!! instead of these hybrid, electric, or hydrogen cars, i make a new proposal. save the trees, and buy one of these:
4 comments:
so what you're saying is that as our world's forests are being chopped to oblivion for grazing land to feed our ridiculous obsession with 1/2 lb hamburgers, we are losing trees that in essence help keep ozone at bay way up there in the stratosphere, and now that there are less trees to counter the attack of the ozone, we actually NEED high emission cars to fill in where the trees are failing? i totally can buy that.
seriously, mcj, have you ever considered politics?
Jonny, this was painful to read. not because it was not well written, but because it reminded me once again how much smarter you are than me (remember how you helped me with that chemistry class I was failing, this post brought flashbacks).
Question:
What about the sun? Is it not true that since the ozone is depleting faster than ever before, our generation will have a higher death rate due to skin cancer, (caused by the harmful UV rays of the sun)? so what you are really giving us is the death sentence of being burned alive? is that what you want for your children?
AND what about the fact that hybrid cars are so cute?
thanks, in advance, for answering these questions.
meg duffy. first of all, i am not smarter than you; i am a geek. that means i like science, you like cool stuff. that's all. not smarter than you at all.
second of all, yes, chemically it's true that ozone eats up oxygen, and it is poisonous, but i'm just being funny; science is funny. i am silly. science is silly. we do need ozone, and we are not in danger of ozone eating our oxygen.
ps. and no, hybrid cars are not cute; as glenn beck says, they look like retarded spaceships.
To my friend Jonny,
Can we say over my head. ha. the only reason I understood it was because i had my biology text book open and was reading the chapter on ozone. Yeah its totally in layman's terms. Love ya man.
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