Ozone can molecularly break down which of the following?

Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent, and one of its distinctive abilities is to molecularly break down certain organic materials. Rubber, being an organic polymer, contains hydrocarbon chains that can be affected by ozone exposure. The molecular structure of rubber allows ozone to attack double bonds within its polymer chains, leading to a process called ozone cracking.

This degradation can weaken rubber, making it brittle and causing it to break down over time. This is why ozone is particularly effective at affecting rubber materials, as they are more susceptible to oxidative damage compared to more inert materials.

In contrast, plastics, wood, and concrete generally do not undergo significant degradation due to ozone. Plastics can vary widely in their chemical resistance to ozone, depending on their composition, but many common plastics are more stable in this regard. Wood can suffer from the effects of ozone in some scenarios but not to the same extent as rubber, and concrete is an inorganic material that remains largely unaffected by ozone's oxidative properties.