Plasma is made of charged and neutral particles that carry electrical currents and generate magnetic fields, just like sunlight or lightning do in the atmosphere. The plasma bulb produces natural streams of positive and negative oxygen ions. The negative ions contain an extra electron, while the positive ions are missing an electron, resulting in an unstable condition. In an effort to re-stabilize, these bipolar ions seek out atoms and molecules in the air to trade electrons with, effectively neutralizing particulate matter, bacteria and virus cells, odorous gases and aerosols, and VOCs. It works by charging airborne particles with the ions, causing them to cluster and be caught in filters. As they divide to reproduce, odor-causing bacteria and viruses bond with the oxygen ions and are destroyed. Odorous gases and aerosols oxidize on contact with the oxygen ions, and are also neutralized. Additionally, the oxygen ions cause a chemical reaction with VOCs, breaking down their molecular structure.