User:Sabrinaperera/Mario Molina

Early Life:
In Mexico City, 1943, on March 19th, Mario Molina was born to Roberto Molina Pasquel, and Leonor Henríquez. His father was a lawyer and diplomat who served as an ambassador to Ethiopia, Australia and the Philippines,. His mother was a family manager. With considerably different interests than his parents, Mario Molina went on to make one of the biggest discoveries in environmental science.

Mario Molina attended both elementary and primary school in Mexico. However, before even attending high school, Mario Molina had developed a deep interest in chemistry. As a child he converted a bathroom in his home, to his own little laboratory, using toy microscopes and chemistry sets. Ester Molina, Mario’s aunt, and an already established chemist, nurtured his interests and aided him in completing more complex chemistry experiments. At this time, Mario knew he wanted to pursue a career in chemistry, and at the age of 11, he was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland at Institut auf dem Rosenberg in Switzerland,   where he learnt to speak German. Before this, Mario had initially wanted to become a professional violinist, but his love for chemistry triumphed over that interest.

Molina’s early career consisted of research at various academic institutions. Molina went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1965. Following this, Molina ventured on to obtain his Ph.D. in physical chemistry studying polymerization kinetics at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, West Germany. When Molina returned to Mexico, he kickstarted the first chemical engineering program at UNAM. This was only the beginning of his chemistry endeavors.

Career:
Mario Molina began his studies at the University of California at Berkeley in 1968, where he would then obtain his Ph.D. in physical chemistry. Throughout his years at Berkeley, he participated in various research projects such as the study of molecular dynamics using chemical lasers and investigation of the distribution of internal energy in the products of chemical and photochemical reactions. Throughout this journey is where he worked with his professor and mentor George C. Pimentel who grew his love for chemistry even further After completing his Ph.D. in physical chemistry, in 1973, he enrolled in a research program at UC Berkeley, with Sherwood Rowland. The topic of interest was Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s). The two would later on make one of the largest discoveries in atmospheric chemistry. They developed their theory of ozone depletion, which later influenced the mass public to reduce their use of CFCs. This kickstarted his career as a widely known chemist.

Between 1974 and 2004, Molina variously held research and teaching posts at University of California, Irvine, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he held a joint appointment in the Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and the Department of Chemistry.

Discovery of Harmful Effects of CFC's:
Ongoing work led to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol (an agreement to cut CFC production and use) by 56 countries in 1987, and to further steps towards the worldwide elimination of CFCs from aerosol cans and refrigerators. By establishing this protocol, the amount of CFCs being emitted into the atmosphere decreased significantly, and while doing so, it has paced the rate of ozone depletion and even slowed climate change. 

In 1985, after Joseph Farman discovered a hole in the ozone layer in Antarctica, Mario Molina led a research team to further investigate the cause of rapid ozone depletion in Antarctica. It was found that the stratospheric conditions in Antarctica were ideal for chlorine activation which ultimately causes ozone depletion.

Awards:
Molina was awarded a noble prize in 1995 for chemistry alongside chemists F. Sherwood Rowland and Paul Crutzen. Their research about the ozone layer led them to discover industrially manufactured gases deplete the ozone layer.

In 1987, he also received the Esselen Award of the Northeast section of the American Chemical Society.

The Newcomb-Cleveland award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In 1989, he also recieved The United Nations Environmental Programme Global 500 Award.

He also holds honorary degrees from Yale, Duke, and Harvard.

On August 8th, 2013, he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

Research and Findings:
Molina was the first to realize that Chlorofluorocarbon gases could destroy the ozone layer. Chlorofluorocarbon gases were used in spray cans and refrigerators containing carbon, chlorine and fluorine. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases accumulate into the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere, which then have an effect on the depletion of the ozone layer. The stratospheric ozone layer protects the earth and living organisms from the sun's uv radiation. A depletion in the ozone layer can have a harmful effect on humans by increasing the amount of incidents of skin cancer caused by an increase in uv rays. Ultraviolet radiation causes the CFC molecules to dissociate, yielding chlorine atoms. When chlorine atoms react with the ozone layer it converts the ozone molecules to oxygen. After these findings, Chlorofluorocarbon gases were then banned and very limited. This has caused a limit in the use of CFC gases ultimately leading to the phasing out of CFC's and replaced by HCFC's, which don't have as much of a risk.