Google Doodle celebrates Mario Molina's 80th Birthday; the scientist who pioneered Ozone layer preservation

Mario Molina was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 as he along with Sherwood Rowland discovered chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that could deplete Earth's atmospheric ozone layer, which blocks the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays

MIT News

When the scientists reported their findings in 1974, CFCs were widely used as refrigerant gases and as propellants in aerosol sprays

Nature

He was the first Mexican-born scientist to receive the chemistry prize

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

For over 40 years, he continued his work in the United States and Mexico, to prevent and repair human-caused damage to the earth's atmosphere

Science

Malino was born on March 19, 1943. As a child, he was so passionate about science that he turned his bathroom into a makeshift laboratory

Academy of Achievement

Search engine giant Google Doodle also eludes to his contributions in this field, with one 'O' of 'Google' being written as O3, which is the molecular composition of ozone, while the other 'O' has been replaced with a picture of the sun. There are spraying can and a refrigerator represented in the image along with the Mexican chemist in an animated avatar

It was his research that became a foundation for the international pact known as the Montreal Protocol. This treaty, which banned the production of several ozone-depleting chemicals, is now considered one of the most important environmental pacts ever signed by the international community

Nobel Prize

The Mario Molina Center, a leading research institute in Mexico, carried on his work to create a more sustainable world

C&EN - American Chemical Society