O3 = Ozone

O3 actually existed around us for so long and I didn't really bother understanding what it is all about...

Since I know a little more about it, I think I should share with those idiots out there who still also doesn’t know much about O3.

I was told that O3 is a powerful thing and it actually has been used in Spa and health products... The first thing that strikes my tiny brain was:
“O3??? ya... ya... ya… wasn't O3 the new series of racquets from “Prince” for squash and tennis… which idiot use it in spa and health products?”

But actually after some uncertain explanation and assumptions from others and plus me checking it up on the internet, O3 is actually known as Ozone.


Ozone - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ozone (O3) is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic species O2. Ground-level ozone is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals. On the other hand, ozone in the upper atmosphere protects living organisms by preventing damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth's surface. It is present in low concentrations throughout the Earth's atmosphere. It has many industrial and consumer applications. Ozone therapy is a controversial alternative medicine practice; mainstream scientific medicine has found ozone to be harmful to humans, and equipment intended to be used for ozone therapy is banned in the United States.
Ozone, the first allotrope of a chemical element to be described by science, was discovered by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1840, who named it after the Greek word for smell (ozein), from the peculiar odor in lightning storms.The odor from a lightning strike is from ions produced during the rapid chemical changes, not the ozone itself.

Applications

Industrial applications:
Ozone can be used for bleaching substances and for killing microorganisms in air and water sources. Many municipal drinking water systems kill bacteria with ozone instead of the more common chlorine. Ozone has a very high oxidation potential. Ozone does not form organochlorine compounds, but it also does not remain in the water after treatment, so some systems introduce a small amount of chlorine to prevent bacterial growth in the pipes, or may use chlorine intermittently, based on results of periodic testing. Where electrical power is abundant, ozone is a cost-effective method of treating water, as it is produced on demand and does not require transportation and storage of hazardous chemicals. Once it has decayed, it leaves no taste or odor in drinking water. Low levels of ozone has been advertised to be of some disinfectant use in residential homes, however, the concentration of ozone required to have a substantial effect on airborne pathogens exceeds greatly safe levels recommended by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
Most countries restrict the amount of ozone that can be generated by popular "ionizing" devices because ozone contributes to the development of smog. Smaller ozone machines may be employed by personal users for home use, and typically produce far less ozone than their larger counterparts. Due to their lower costs, almost all ozone generators designed for personal use employ the corona discharge method. In many countries, the production or operation of ozone generating devices is illegal.
Industrially, ozone or ozonated water is used to:
-Disinfect laundry in hospitals, food factories, care homes etc;
-Disinfect water before it is bottled;
-Deodorize air and objects, such as after a fire;
-Kill bacteria on food or on contact surfaces;
-Ozone swimming pool and spa sanitation;
-Scrub yeast and mold spores from the air in food processing plants;
-Wash fresh fruits and vegetables to kill yeast, mold and bacteria;
-Chemically attack contaminants in water (iron, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, nitrites, and complex organics lumped together as "colour");
-Provide an aid to flocculation (agglomeration of molecules, which aids in filtration, where the iron and arsenic are removed);
-Manufacture chemical compounds via chemical synthesis;
-Clean and bleach fabrics (the latter use is patented);
-Assist in processing plastics to allow adhesion of inks;
-Age rubber samples to determine the useful life of a batch of rubber;
-Hospital operating rooms where air needs to be sterile;
-Eradicate water borne parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium in surface water treatment plants. This process is known as ozonation.

Ozone is a reagent in many organic reactions in the laboratory and in industry. Ozonolysis is the cleavage of an alkene to carbonyl compounds.
Many hospitals in the U.S. and around the world use large ozone generators to decontaminate operating rooms between surgeries. The rooms are cleaned and then sealed airtight before being filled with ozone which effectively kills or neutralizes all remaining bacteria.

Consumer applications:
Ozone machines, with or without ionisation, are currently used to sanitise (high ozone output) and deodorize non-inhabited rooms, ductwork, vehicles, boats, woodsheds, and buildings.
Some models of air purifiers that also emit low levels of ozone have been sold in the US. These type of air purifiers claim to imitate nature's "filterless" air purifying mechanisms and claim to "sanitise" the air and/or household surfaces. The government successfully sued one company in 1995, ordering them to stop repeating health claims without supporting scientific studies.
Ozonated water is used to launder clothes, sanitise food, drinking water, and surfaces in the home. According to the FDA, it is "amending the food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of ozone in gaseous and aqueous phases as an antimicrobial agent on food, including meat and poultry." Studies at California Polytechnic University, have proven that low levels of ozone dissolved in filtered tapwater can produce more than a four-log (99.99%) reduction in such food-borne microorganisms as salmonella, e. Coli 0157:H7, campylobacter and others. Ironically, while ozone is considered an atmospheric pollutant, pollution and smog by the US government, it can actually reduce pollutants like pesticides in fruits and vegetables.
Ozone is used in spas or hot tubs with reduced levels of chlorine or bromine for keeping the water free of bacteria. As it does not remain in the water after treatment, it is ineffective at preventing bather cross-contamination, and must be used in conjunction with another sanitizer. Ozone gas is created by an ultraviolet light bulb or corona discharge chip and injected into the plumbing system.
Ozone is also widely used in treatment of water in aquaria and fish ponds. Its use can minimize bacterial growth control parasites and removes or reduce "yellowing" of the water. As the Ozone rapidly decomposes, at correctly controlled levels the application has no effect on the fish.


Ozone therapy:
Ozone therapy has been used in alternative medicine as a medical treatment in a number of different countries. Its use, however, is controversial.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned ozone generators or ozone gas from being marketed for treatment of any medical conditions, based on the toxicity of ozone and the lack of scientific evidence for any beneficial effects at non-toxic levels.
One couple, Kenneth R. Thiefault and Mardel Barber, were convicted of and sent to prison in 1999 for violating this ban, which involved marketing ozone generators to cure AIDS, cancer, herpes, hepatitis, gangrene, or "almost any disease", without presenting any evidence to the FDA of effectiveness or safety.
However, it is worth noting that the FDA cannot allow any device to claim to treat any medical condition unless the device and/or treatment have gone through rigorous trials. It is not illegal to sell medical-grade ozone machines in the US, nor is it illegal to own one or use one. What is illegal is to sell them while claiming it treats disease. Many people use ozone therapy in the US, despite its unrecognized status with the FDA and allopathic medicine. It is legal to sell or own a medical-grade ozone machine in the US. It is also legal to self-administer ozone. Whether practitioners can administer or recommend the use of ozone is more complex.

臭氧 - 維基百科，自由的百科全書

臭氧是氧氣(O2)的同素異形體，在常溫下，它是一種有特殊臭味的藍色氣體。分子式為O3。
英文臭氧（Ozone）一詞源自希臘語ozon，意為「嗅」。
臭氧具有等腰三角形結構，三個氧原子分別位於三角形的三個頂點，頂角為116.79度。
臭氧極易分解，很不穩定。它不溶於液態氧，四氯化碳等。有很強的氧化性，在常溫下可將銀氧化成氧化銀，將硫化鉛氧化成硫酸鉛。臭氧可使許多有機色素脫色，侵蝕橡膠，很容易氧化有機不飽和化合物。臭氧在冰中極為穩定，其半衰期為2000年。
臭氧主要存在於距地球表面20公里的同溫層下部的臭氧層中。它吸收對人體有害的短波紫外線，防止其到達地球。
1785年，德國人在使用電機時，發現在電機放電時產生一種異味。1840年法國科學家基士揚·弗雷德日將它確定為臭氧。
在紫外線輻射下，通過電子放射或暴曬從雙原子氧氣可自然形成臭氧。工業上，用乾燥的空氣或氧氣，採用5~25kv的交流電壓進行無聲放電制取。另外，在低溫下電解稀硫酸，或將液體氧氣加熱都可制得臭氧。大自然很容易產生臭氧，在打雷閃電時會產生幾十萬伏的高壓電，電離空氣及有機物形成臭氧，稀薄的臭氧會給人以清新的感覺。因此在大雷雨後，空氣總是特別清新。
臭氧可用於淨化空氣，漂白飲用水，殺菌，處理工業廢物和作為漂白劑。
在夏季，由於工業和汽車廢氣的影響，尤其在大城市周圍農林地區在地表臭氧會形成和聚集。地表臭氧對人體，尤其是對眼睛，呼吸道等有侵蝕和損害作用。地表臭氧也對農作物或森林有害。