Question

How is ozone formed in the upper most part of earth?

Answer 1

Ozone in the upper layer of atmosphere ( stratosphere) is called good ozone. It is a protective layer of molecules, each containing three atoms of oxygen (O₃). In the upper atmosphere, ozone is produced when ultraviolet radiations act on molecules of diatomic oxygen (O₂). Oxygen atoms released by action of UV on diatomic oxygen, further combine with other diatomic oxygen molecules to form triatomic molecule of oxygen called ozone (O₃).Ozone is thermodynamically unstable. It absorbs the UV radiations to give a molecule of diatomic oxygen. These processes of formation and breakdown of ozone molecules continue in a balanced way in the upper atmosphere.