Question

explain how ozone in the stratosphere is formed.

Explanation:

Stratospheric ozone forms through a two-step photochemical process driven by high-energy ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. First, UV radiation breaks apart oxygen molecules. Then, the resulting oxygen atoms react with other oxygen molecules to form ozone.

Answer:

Ozone in the stratosphere forms via a two-stage photochemical reaction:

1. High-energy ultraviolet (UV-C) radiation from the Sun splits diatomic oxygen molecules ($O_2$) into two individual oxygen atoms:

$$O_2 + UV-C ightarrow 2O$$

1. These free oxygen atoms then react with other undissociated $O_2$ molecules, in the presence of a third neutral molecule (like $N_2$ or $O_2$ that acts as a collision partner to absorb excess energy), to form ozone ($O_3$):

$$O + O_2 + M ightarrow O_3 + M$$

where $M$ represents the third stabilizing molecule.