Cyclic ozone is a theoretically predicted form of

ozone Ozone () (or trioxygen) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , break ...

. Like ordinary ozone (O₃), it would have three

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

atoms. It would differ from ordinary ozone in how those three oxygen atoms are arranged. In ordinary ozone, the atoms are arranged in a bent line; in cyclic ozone, they would form an

equilateral triangle An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length, and all three angles are equal. Because of these properties, the equilateral triangle is a regular polygon, occasionally known as the regular triangle. It is the ...

. Some of the properties of cyclic ozone have been predicted theoretically. It should have more energy than ordinary ozone. There is evidence that tiny quantities of cyclic ozone exist at the surface of

magnesium oxide Magnesium oxide (MgO), or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium (see also oxide). It has an empirical formula of MgO and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2− ions ...

crystals in air. Cyclic ozone has not been made in bulk, although at least one researcher has attempted to do so using lasers. Another possibility to stabilize this form of oxygen is to produce it inside confined spaces, e.g.,

fullerene A fullerene is an allotropes of carbon, allotrope of carbon whose molecules consist of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds so as to form a closed or partially closed mesh, with fused rings of five to six atoms. The molecules may ...

. It has been speculated that, if cyclic ozone could be made in bulk, and if it proved to have good

stability Stability may refer to: Mathematics *Stability theory, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems ** Asymptotic stability ** Exponential stability ** Linear stability **Lyapunov stability ** Marginal s ...

properties, it could be added to liquid oxygen to improve the

specific impulse Specific impulse (usually abbreviated ) is a measure of how efficiently a reaction mass engine, such as a rocket engine, rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel, generates thrust. In general, this is a ratio of the ''Impulse (physics), ...

of rocket fuel. Currently, the possibility of cyclic ozone is confirmed within diverse theoretical approaches.

References

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* {{oxygenallotropes Allotropes of oxygen Hypothetical chemical compounds Three-membered rings Ozone Homonuclear triatomic molecules