Smog, the most widespread pollutant in the United States, is a photochemical reaction resulting in ground-level ozone. Ozone, an odorless, tasteless gas in the presence of light can initiate a chain of chemical reactions. Ozone is a desirable gas in the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere, but it can be hazardous to health when found near Earth’s surface in the troposphere. The hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivations, and nitric oxides emitted from such sources as automobiles are the raw materials for photochemical reactions. In the presence of oxygen and sunlight, the nitric oxides combine with organic compounds, such as the hydrocarbons from unburned gasoline, to produce a whitish haze, sometimes tinged with a yellow-brown color. In this process, a large number of new hydrocarbons and oxyhydrocarbons are produced. These secondary hydrocarbon products may comprise as much as 95 percent of the total organics in a severe smog episode.