Air Pollution Part 1

Question 1

What is ambient air?

Answer 1

The air around us

Question 2

Which pollutants does fire release?

Answer 2

Pm and CO

Question 3

Which pollutant do volcanoes release?

Answer 3

SO2, S, pm

Question 4

What pollutant do forests release?

Answer 4

VOCs

Question 5

Which pollutant does rotting material release?

Answer 5

CH4

Question 6

What are 4 examples of primary pollutants?

Answer 6

Hg, NOx, SO2, pm

Question 7

What are 3 examples of secondary pollutants?

Answer 7

Acid rain, HNO3, H2SO4

Question 8

What reacts with primary pollutants to create secondary pollutants?

Answer 8

Air, UV light, water

Question 9

What did the clean air act in 1955 accomplish?

Answer 9

National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)

Set up cap and trade program for SO2 emission

Question 10

What are 7 criteria pollutants?

Answer 10

Sulfur oxides (SO2)
Nitrogen oxides (NO2)
Carbon oxides (CO, CO2)
Metals (Pb, Hg)
Particulate matter 
VOCs
Photochemical oxides

Question 11

What does VOC stand for?

Answer 11

Volatile organic compounds

Question 12

Is nitrogen oxide a primary or secondary pollutant?

Answer 12

Primary

Question 13

What is the chemical formula for nitric acid rain?

Answer 13

NO + O + H2O = HNO3

Question 14

What are 3 natural sources of nitrogen oxide?

Answer 14

Fire smoke, swamps, N-cycle

Question 15

What are 3 anthropogenic sources of nitrogen oxide?

Answer 15

Coal, petroleum, nitrate

Question 16

Sulfur compounds cause ___% of acid rain

Answer 16

75

Question 17

What is the chemical formula for sulfuric acid rain?

Answer 17

SO2 + H2O + O + H2SO4

Question 18

What are 2 natural sources of sulfur?

Answer 18

Volcanoes, sea spray

Question 19

What are 3 anthropogenic sources of sulfur?

Answer 19

Coal, petroleum distillation, smelting

Question 20

What is the order of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 20

N2O in air
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrification
Assimilation 
Ammonification
Denitrification

Question 21

What happens in nitrogen fixation? (Abiotic)

Answer 21

Gas is turned to a liquid or solid by lightning or cosmic radiation, N is combined with O to make HNO3

Question 22

What happens in nitrogen fixation? (biotic)

Answer 22

Gas is turned to a liquid or solid by bacteria rhizobium in root nodules of plants

Question 23

What are 2 examples of legumes?

Answer 23

Soybeans and alfalfa

Question 24

What happens in nitrification?

Answer 24

Bacteria change nitrogen so plants can use it

Question 25

What is the nitrogen cycle "prom queen"?

Answer 25

NO3

Question 26

What happens in assimilation?

Answer 26

NO3 is used by plants and becomes NH4

Question 27

What is NH3?

Answer 27

Ammonia

Question 28

What is NH4?

Answer 28

Ammonium

Question 29

What happens in ammonification?

Answer 29

Waste and dead things are decomposed into NH3

Question 30

What happens in denitrification?

Answer 30

Anaerobic bacteria change NH3 and NH4 into N2O and release them into the air

Question 31

What percent of CO2 is released and absorbed by plants?

Answer 31

97%

Question 32

Where is carbon stored and how is it released?

Answer 32

In living matter, upon decomposition

Question 33

What is the chemical formula for carbonic acid?

Answer 33

CO2 + H2O = H2CO3

Question 34

What does CO cause?

Answer 34

Asphyxiation

Question 35

What causes CO to form?

Answer 35

Incomplete combustion

Question 36

What are 3 metals that are pollutants?

Answer 36

Pb, Hg, As

Question 37

What is a natural source of pollutant metals?

Answer 37

Metals being leaches out of rock

Question 38

What are 2 anthropogenic sources of pollutant metals?

Answer 38

Fossil fuel combustion, smelting

Question 39

Lead is what what fraction of metallic air pollution?

Answer 39

2/3

Question 40

What are 6 sources of lead?

Answer 40

Gas, paint, pipes, lead shot, jewelry, make up

Question 41

What does mercury bioaccumulate as?

Answer 41

Methylmercury

Question 42

What are 2 anthropogenic sources of mercury?

Answer 42

Coal and gold mining

Question 43

What 2 things does arsenic poisoning cause?

Answer 43

Neurological disturbance and multi system failure

Question 44

What are 2 anthropogenic sources of arsenic?

Answer 44

Pesticides and wood preservatives

Question 45

What is particulate matter?

Answer 45

Liquids or solids suspended in gas

Question 46

What are 3 natural sources of PMs?

Answer 46

Volcanoes, fires, pollen

Question 47

What are 3 anthropogenic sources of PMs?

Answer 47

Coal/diesel burning, farm tilling, asbestos

Question 48

What is asbestos and what does it cause?

Answer 48

It was a fire retardant, it causes mesothelioma lung cancer

Question 49

What are VOCs?

Answer 49

Organics that evaporate at room temp

Question 50

What does VOC stand for?

Answer 50

Volatile organic compounds

Question 51

What are 5 VOCs?

Answer 51

``` Methane (CH4) Benzene (C6H6) Hydrocarbons Halocarbons Oxygenates ```

Question 52

What are hydrocarbons?

Answer 52

Compounds that only have hydrogen and carbon

Question 53

What are oxygenates?

Answer 53

Fuel that is oxidized turns CO into CO2

Question 54

What 2 organs can VOCs cause damage to?

Answer 54

Liver and kidneys

Question 55

What are 3 natural sources of VOCs?

Answer 55

Rice paddies, wetlands, forests

Question 56

What are 4 anthropogenic sources of VOCs?

Answer 56

Landfill gas (CH4) Industries Car exhaust Cleaning chemicals

Question 57

How are photochemical oxidants formed?

Answer 57

when UV light combined chemicals with oxygen

Question 58

What is the most common photochemical oxidant?

Answer 58

Ozone

Question 59

What is the chemical formula for ozone?

Answer 59

UV light + NOx + VOCs + CO = O3

Question 60

What type of problems does ozone cause?

Answer 60

Respiratory

Question 61

What are 3 ideal elements to make smog?

Answer 61

Sunny Dry Traffic