Every moment of every day, chemical reactions are taking place in the air and on almost every surface of our homes. The primary driver of this indoor chemistry is ozone, a highly reactive molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Most of it comes into our homes from outside, although relatively small amounts come from air purifiers, laser printers and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
It doesn't hang around for long. "Indoor ozone tends to be much lower concentration than outdoor ozone, but that's because it reacts with so many things indoors," says Richard Corsi at the University of Texas. "So there's a lot of interest in ozone reaction products."
Ozone reacts with anything scented, such as air fresheners and cleaners. "All of those scented compounds have carbon-carbon double bonds and ozone loves to attack those things," says Corsi. ...
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