Latino+Essay+GA2

= Resources =
 * Scholastic - Latinos in History
 * FactMonster.com - Search under People and Biographies
 * [|Wikipedia] - search for Latinos in science, Latinos in technology, Hispanics in science, Hispanics in technology

Mario José Molina was born on March 19, 1943 in Mexico City, Mexico, and he is currently 71 years old. ("Mario Molina Biography”) He won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1995 when he was 52 years old. He did so by figuring out how man-made compounds affect the ozone layer. ("Mario Molina Biography”) He found out that common things like spray cans and air conditioners have been depleting the ozone layer. (“Mario Molina Wins Nobel Prize") The ozone layer is the part of Earth’s atmosphere that protects the Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Without it the Earth wouldn't have anything living on it.

Molina was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland when he was 11 years old, assuming that German was an important language for a potential chemist to learn. He was thrilled to go to Europe, but then was disappointed that his European classmates were not as interested in science as his Mexican friends. Then he returned to Mexico to start college. After finishing his undergraduate studies in Mexico, he had decided to go after a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry. This was not easy to do; although his training in chemical engineering was good, he was weak in mathematics, physics, as well as in many different areas of basic physical chemistry - subjects such as quantum mechanics were very confusing to him then. At first he went to Germany and registered at the University of Freiburg. After spending approximately two years doing research in kinetics of polymerizations, he realized that he wanted to have time to study numerous basic subjects in order to extend his background and to discover other research areas. (“Mario J. Molina - Biographical.")

When he was a boy he spent hours playing with chemistry sets in a bathroom in his house which he had made into a science lab. He dreamt that he would one day become famous for discoveries that would protect the world’s atmosphere. Even though he was amazed by chemicals, he knew they we dangerous. When he was a graduate student he began to study chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFCs, which are a group of chemicals used in spray cans and air conditioners. He and Professor Sherwood Rowland found out that when CFCs entered the atmosphere, they break apart and the chlorine atoms from these chemicals were destroying parts of the ozone layer. ("Celebrate Hispanic Heritage!” And Molina, J. Mario “Mario J. Molina - Biographical.")

Not many people paid attention to their discoveries at first, and even some didn't believe them. Then in 1984, scientist had found a large hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Molina, Rowland, and another scientist, named Paul Crutzen, showed why and how the chlorofluorocarbons were damaging the ozone layer. People knew it had to be fixed. In 1987 countries all over the world agreed to prohibit the use of CFCs within a certain period of time. Still, some other chemicals are damaging to the ozone layer. ("Celebrate Hispanic Heritage!”)

In 1995 he and the two other scientists, Rowland and Crutzen, won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for what they had discovered. Molina donated $200,000 of his Nobel Prize winnings to assist young scientist around the world to study the environment. Now Molina is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, teaching others who want to become scientist. He believes that scientists and other people in the world alike will have to work hard with each other to protect our environment. ("Celebrate Hispanic Heritage!”)

Mario José Molina has contributed many things to science and the world alike by saving the ozone layer with his discoveries. So now I hope that you have learned a lot about this inspiring chemist and will take into consideration what Molina has done for our planet and its people.

"Celebrate Hispanic Heritage! Meet Mario Molina." Celebrate Hispanic Heritage! Meet Mario Molina. Scholastic, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/molina.htm
 * __Works Cited__**

•This site is reliable because Scholastic is a very popular distributor of school books, references, and products.

"Mario J. Molina - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 27 Apr 2014. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/molina-bio.html

•This site is reliable because it is the official website of the Nobel Prize.

"Mario José Molina." 2014. The Biography.com website. Apr 27 2014 http://www.biography.com/people/mario-molina-9411313.

•This site is reliable because it is used by many people.

"Mario Molina Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry." The Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. http://tech.mit.edu/V115/N48/nobel.48n.html

•This site is reliable because it is a digital publication of a newspaper.