ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY Flashcards
(87 cards)
WHAT IS THE ATMOSPHERE?
the layer of air that extends about 100km above the surface of the earth
WHAT IS THE TROPOSHERE?
the bottom layer of the atmosphere. it contains about 90% of the air in the atmosphere
WHAT IS THE STRATOSPHERE?
the layer in the atmosphere that is found directly above the troposphere
WHAT IS THE COMPOSITION OF DRY UNPOLUTED AIR?
78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
1% other gases ( CO2 and Nobel gases)
WHAT IS OXYGEN ?
the most reactive gas in the atmosphere
WHAT ARE THE USES OF OXYGEN?
uses *in hospitals for people with breathing problems
*in the steel industry for removing impurities from , iron
WHAT IS NITROGEN
the most abundant gas in the atmosphere . it is inert due to the large amount of energy needed to break the triple bond
WHAT IS THE USES OF NITROGEN?
- to flush tanks of flammable liquids
- in food packaging to keep food fresh
- liquid nitrogen is used for fast freezing fruit
DESCRIBE HOW OXYGEN IS MANUFACTURED
LIQUEFACTION– used to turn air to liquid
- air is filtered to remove dust and then compressed
- CO2 and water vapour are removed
- air is then cooled to -170c by expanding it suddenly
- it is then further cooled to -200c
- the low temperature liquefies the air
FRACTIONAL DISTILATION–aloows nitrogen and oxygen in liquid air to be boiled off at different temperatures and to be separated from each other
- luquid air is passed into a fractionating column and allowed to slowly heat
- nitrogen boils off first at the top of the fractionating column due to its low billing point of -196c
- oxygen collects and boils off at the bottom of the fractionating column due to its higher boiling point of -183c
- this happens continuously due to air being constantly added and one end and product being continuously removed from the other end
STATE A CO PRODUCT OF THE MANUFACTURING OF OXYGEN
nitrogen
WHAT TWO SUBSTANCES ARE REMOVED BEFORE FRACTIONAL DISTILLMENT IN OXYGEN MANUFACTURING ?
water vapour and co2
IS THE MANUFACTURING OF OXYGEN CONTINOUS OR BATCH ? WHY ?
continuous as air is constantly being added at one end and products are constantly being removed at the other end continuously
DRAW A LABELED APPARATUS OF A FRACTIONATING COLUMMN MANUFACTURING OXYGEN
fractionating column , compressed liquid air , nitrogen at top , oxygen at bottom
WHY IS NITROGEN UNREACTIVE?
due to the large amount of energy that is needed to break the triple bond
WHAT IS LIQUEFACTION?
turning air to liquid
WHAT IS FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION?
allowing nitrogen and oxygen in liquid air to be boiled off at different temperatures and separated from each other
WHAT ARE THE TWO STEPS INVOLVED IN OXYGEN MANUFACTURING ?
liquefaction and fractional distillation
WHAT IS THE NITROGEN CYCLE?
it is a sequence of events which removes nitrogen from the air and then returns nitrogen to the air.
WHAT DOES THE NITROGEN CYCLE INDICATE?
it indicates the reason why nitrogen levels in the air remain mainly constant at around 78%
WHY CAN NITROGEN NOT BE USED BY PLANTS?
as nitrogen is unreactive
DESCRIBE THE NITROGEN CYCLE
NITROGEN FIXATION
–>unnatural-*haber process N2+3H3> 2NH3
- —>natural
- electrical storms
- lightening provides the heat needed for N2 to combust
- nitrogen combines with oxygen to create nitrogen monoxide
- nitrogen monoxide combines with oxygen to create nitrogen dioxide
- nitrogen dioxide combine with water to form nitrous acid and nitric acid
- nitric acid forms nitrates in the soil for plant roots to absorb to make plant protein
*legume plants
-legume plants in the soil have swellings on their root called nodules
-nodules contain rhizobium bacteria which convert nitrogen to nitrates
-plants absorbs the nitrates through their roots to make plant protein
ANIMALS
-animals eat the plants and convert the plant protein to animal protein
BACTERIA AND FUGI OF DECAY
-decay the dead plants and animal releasing nitrogen
- nitrogen is converted to ammonia by the bacteria and fungi
-also done in urea and sweat
NITRIFYING BACTERIA
-convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate
DENITRIFYING BACTERIA
-convert nitrates to nitrogen gas to be released into the atmosphere
DIAGRAM FOR NUTROGEN CYCLE
draw out check notes
WHAT IS NITROGEN FIXATION?
it is the conversion of nitrogen to compounds that can be absorbed by plants
HOW IS CARBON MONOXIDE FORMED?
when carbon is burned incompletely in limited oxygen