Wednesday, March 7, 2012

What chemical compunds or molecules of the same element can radiation break apart?

For example, O2 is broken into O, then the oxygen is combined with a group of O2 to make O3 (ozone). Can other molecules/compunds be broken apart by radiation? If so, how intense is that UV radiation? If not, how/is it possible to break up other compounds?What chemical compunds or molecules of the same element can radiation break apart?
Almost anything can be broken up.



The most common example is plastics under UV radiation from the sun. If you look at plastic chairs that are outside or at plastic dashboards on old cars the UV has broken bonds in the plastic and caused cracking open.



And UV is not as strong as the cosmic radiation that breaks apart oxygen.What chemical compunds or molecules of the same element can radiation break apart?
Anything, that's how chemistry works.

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