Do UV rays split water molecules?

Short answer: Yep. Long-ish answer: The term you're looking for is “photodissociation”, i.e. breaking of chemical bonds by photons. And yes, it happens with UV rays and Water molecules. Thanks! read more

Short answer: Yep. Long-ish answer: The term you’re looking for is “photodissociation”, i.e. breaking of chemical bonds by photons. And yes, it happens with UV rays and Water molecules. read more

Yes. We do it all the time. You can react an alkali metal with water, as in this video of war-surplus sodium being destroyed after the Second World War. The products are hydrogen gas, the hydroxide of the metal, and a whole bunch of heat. read more

UV-B rays have a lower energy level and a longer wavelength than UV-C. As their energy is often not sufficient to split an ozone molecule, some of them extend down to the earth's surface. UV-A rays do not have enough energy to break apart the bonds of the ozone, so UV-A radiation passes the earth's atmosphere almost unfiltered. read more