Abstract
As I already mentioned, ozone (from the Greek means to give off a smell) is a natural but unstable molecule. The pure gas has a soft sky-blue colour with a pungent, acrid smell. The molecule is composed of three oxygen atoms (O3) and, the molecular weight, in comparison to the oxygen diatomic molecule (32.00) is of 48.00. Ozone has a cyclical structure with a distance among oxygen atoms of 1.26 Å and exists in several mesomeric states in dynamic equilibrium. For the physician it is useful to know that the solubility (ml) in 100 ml water (at 0°C) of either ozone or oxygen is either 49.0 ml or 4.89 (ten fold lower), respectively. Consequently the great solubility of ozone in water allows its immediate reaction with any soluble compounds and biomolecules present in biological fluids. Either traces of oxygen polymers (O4) or ozone polymers (O6 and O9) can be generated but the idea that superactive ozone polymers/clusters may have a therapeutic role remains speculative (Cacace et al., 2001; Murai et al., 2003).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aris, R. M., Christian, D., Hearne, P. Q., Kerr, K., Finkbeiner, W. E., and Balmes, J. R., 1993, Ozone-induced airway inflammation in human subjects as determined by airway lavage and biopsy, Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 148:1363–1372.
Babior, B. M., Takeuchi, C., Ruedi, J., Gutierrez, A., and Wentworth, P., Jr., 2003, Investigating antibody-catalyzed ozone generation by human neutrophils, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:3031–3034.
Broeckaert, F., Arsalane, K., Hermans, C., Bergamaschi, E., Brustolin, A., Mutti, A., and Bernard, A., 1999, Lung epithelial damage at low concentrations of ambient ozone, Lancet 353:900–901.
Cacace, F., De Petris, G., and Troiani, A., 2001, Experimental detection of tetraoxygen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 40:4062–4065.
Devlin, R. B., McDonnell, W. F., Mann, R., Becker, S., House, D. E., Schreinemachers, D., and Koren, H. S., 1991, Exposure of humans to ambient levels of ozone for 6.6 hours causes cellular and biochemical changes in the lung, Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 4:72–81.
Jerrett, M., Burnett, R. T., Pope, C. A. et al., 2009, Long-term ozone exposure and mortality, N. Engl. J. Med. 360:1085–1095.
Molina, M. J., and Rowland, F. S., 1974, Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes: chlorine atom catalyzed destruction of ozone, Nature 249:810–814.
Moncada, S., 1992, Nitric oxide gas: mediator, modulator, and pathophysiologic entity, J. Lab. Clin. Med. 120:187–191.
Murai, A., Nakajima, T., and Tahara, N., 2003, Verification of ozone clusters (O6 & O9), Ozone Sci. Eng. 25:211–221.
Nakao, A., Sugimoto, R., Billiar, T. R., and McCurry, K. R., 2009a, Therapeutic antioxidant medical gas, J. Clin. Biochem. Nutr. 44:1–13.
Nakao, A., Faleo, G., Nalesnik, M. A. et al., 2009b, Low-dose carbon monoxide inhibits progressive chronic allograft nephropathy and restores renal allograft function, Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 297:F19–F26.
Nieva, J., and Wentworth, P., Jr., 2004, The antibody-catalyzed water oxidation pathway – a new chemical arm to immune defense? Trends Biochem. Sci. 29:274–278.
Pannen, B. H. J., Köhler, N., Hole, B., Bauer, M., Clemens, M. G., and Geiger, K. K., 1998, Protective role of endogenous carbon monoxide in hepatic microcirculatory dysfunction after hemorrhagic shock in rats, J. Clin. Invest. 102:1220–1228.
Schrope, M., 2000, Successes in fight to save ozone layer could close holes by 2050, Nature 408:627.
Verma, A., Hirsch, D. J., Glatt, C. E., Ronnett, G. V., and Snyder, S. H., 1993, Carbon monoxide: a putative neural messenger, Science 259:381–384.
Bocci, V., 2006b, Is it true that ozone is always toxic? The end of the dogma, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 216:493–504.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bocci, V. (2010). Physical-Chemical Properties of Ozone – Natural Production of Ozone: The Toxicology of Ozone. In: OZONE. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9234-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9234-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9233-5
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9234-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)