C1 - Air Quality

Question 1

What percentage of the air is nitrogen?

Answer 1

78%

Question 2

What percentage of the air is oxygen?

Answer 2

21%

Question 3

What percentage or the air is argon and other rare gases?

Answer 3

Less than 1%

Question 4

What percentage of the air is carbon dioxide?

Answer 4

0.04%

Question 5

How can we find the percentage of oxygen in air?

Answer 5

By passing air over heated copper

Question 6

When was the earth’s atmosphere formed?

Answer 6

About 4 billion years ago

Question 7

Describe what happened during the forming of the atmosphere?

Volcanoes + Clouds -> Oceans -> Photosynthesis -> Shellfish Sedimentation -> Evolution -> Fossil Fuels

Answer 7

• Volcanoes released CO2 and Water Vapour
• Earth cooled and oceans formed from the condensed water vapour as it rained for thousands of years
• Tiny bacteria formed in the oceans and photosynthesised to create oxygen.
• Shellfish took in CO2 to make shells and when they died they became part of the sediment. Over billions of years thick layers of chalk and limestone built up
• Animals evolved to breathe oxygen instead of CO2 and the animals which took in CO2 died and became fossils and the fossil fuels we have today
• People burn the fossil fuels and release CO2 back into the air

Question 8

What did scientists think made up the early atmosphere 60 years ago?

Answer 8

Ammonia and Methane

Question 9

What was the early atmosphere actually mainly made of?

Answer 9

Carbon dioxide

Question 10

Pollutants

Answer 10

Gases which are harmful to us and the environment

Question 11

Give Examples of pollutants

Answer 11

Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide, Carbon dioxide and Sulphur dioxide

Question 12

Why is Carbon monoxide dangerous?

Answer 12

It reduces the amount of oxygen blood can carry

Question 13

Solid particulates

Answer 13

Small solid particles which float in the air

Question 14

2 Examples of solid particulates?

Answer 14

Soot and Volcanic ash

Question 15

By what percentage have carbon dioxide levels risen in the last 50 years?

Answer 15

25%

Question 16

Which two pollutants make acid rain?

Answer 16

Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide

Question 17

What units are small amounts of Carbon Dioxide measured in?

Answer 17

ppm or parts per million

Question 18

What units are pollutant gases such as Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide measured in?

Answer 18

ppb or parts per billion

Question 19

Correlation

Answer 19

A link between a factor and an outcome.

Question 20

What causes Sulphur dioxide pollution and what does it cause?

Answer 20

Volcanoes and power stations burning fossil fuels cause it and it causes acid rain

Question 21

What causes Nitrogen monoxide/ dioxide pollution and what does it cause?

Answer 21

Lightning and car engine air cause it and it results in acid rain

Question 22

What causes Carbon monoxide pollution?

Answer 22

Forest fires and car exhaust fumes

Question 23

What causes Carbon dioxide pollution and what does it cause?

Answer 23

Fires, volcanoes, respiration and burning fossil fuels cause it and it contributes to global warming

Question 24

Hydrocarbons

Answer 24

Substances made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms

Question 25

What is the word equation for complete hydrocarbon combustion?

Answer 25

Hydrocarbon + Oxygen -> Carbon + Water + Energy

Question 26

What is the word equation for incomplete hydrocarbon combustion?

Answer 26

Hydrocarbon + oxygen -> Carbon Monoxide + Water

Question 27

What's the difference between complete and incomplete combustion?

Answer 27

Complete combustion has lots of oxygen whereas incomplete does not

Question 28

Oxidation

Answer 28

When oxygen is added to a substance

Question 29

Reduction

Answer 29

When oxygen is removed from a substance

Question 30

Combustion

Answer 30

Burning

Question 31

An example of an oxidation reaction

Answer 31

Combustion

Question 32

Reactants

Answer 32

The substances which are being reacted together

Question 33

Products

Answer 33

The substances which are formed during a chemical reaction

Question 34

Insoluble

Answer 34

Cannot dissolve in water

Question 35

Soluble

Answer 35

Can dissolve in water

Question 36

Solution

Answer 36

A substance which has had something dissolved into it

Question 37

What are the word and chemical equations for the formation of sulphur dioxide

Answer 37

Sulphur + Oxygen = Sulphur dioxide | S + O2 -> SO2

Question 38

Which fossil fuel contains the most sulphur?

Answer 38

Coal

Question 39

What does acid rain do?

Answer 39

It lowers the pH when it falls on land or enclosed water harming living things or eroding carbonate rocks.

Question 40

Indirect pollutants

Answer 40

Pollutants which don't affect humans directly such as acid rain

Question 41

What happens when a fuel burns but there is not enough air available to burn it? 2 outcomes

Answer 41

* Carbon monoxide is formed | * Bits of soot are made making the surfaces they land on dirty

Question 42

How are pollutants removed from the air?

Answer 42

* Particulate carbon settles on surfaces making them dirty * Sulphur and nitrogen oxides react with water and oxygen to produce a mixture of sulphuric acids and nitric acid in rain (Acid rain) * Carbon dioxide is used by plants for photosynthesis * Carbon dioxide dissolves in rain water and oceans

Question 43

Mean

Answer 43

An average where all results are added and divided by the frequency of results

Question 44

Range

Answer 44

The difference between high and low results

Question 45

Outliers

Answer 45

Data samples which do not seem to fit the pattern or break laws of science and must be incorrect

Question 46

Electrostatic filters

Answer 46

Equipment used in power stations to remove solid particulates

Question 47

Describe both methods of flue gas desulphurisation or "wet scrubbing"

Answer 47

1. Limestone is heated -> Calcium oxide (lime) + Carbon dioxide Lime + Water -> Alkaline slurry Alkaline slurry + Sulphur dioxide + Oxygen -> Calcium Sulphate (Gypsum) Gypsum can be used to make wall plaster 2. Reacting sea water with sulphur dioxide to make a sulphate and carbon dioxide

Question 48

How to reduce fossil fuel usage?

Answer 48

* Using alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power * Improving building insulation or wearing warmer clothing to reduce usage of Central heating * Walking, biking or using public transport * Recycling * Using Eco friendly or energy efficient appliances

Question 49

Biofuels

Answer 49

Fuels made from plants

Question 50

Examples of biofuels:

Answer 50

* Wood chips * Palm oil * Alcohol made from sugar

Question 51

Carbon neutral

Answer 51

If something is Carbon neutral, it's usage produces as much carbon dioxide as it takes in

Question 52

Disadvantage of biofuel usage

Answer 52

•Large areas of land are needed to grow biofuels and this land could be used to plant food

Question 53

Advantages of biofuel usage

Answer 53

* They're carbon neutral | * It produces less carbon dioxide than coal for the same amount of energy

Question 54

Sustainable

Answer 54

Efficient enough to be carried on for a long period of time and not affect future generations

Question 55

Advantage and disadvantage of using hydrogen gas as a fuel

Answer 55

ADV: it doesn't produce CO2 DISADV: It uses more energy to extract hydrogen than it makes

Question 56

How to reduce air pollution from vehicles:

Answer 56

* Use cars less, especially for shorter journeys * Using cleaner fuels and removing pollutants from exhausts * Making public transport cheaper, more frequent and available in more places

Question 57

What do Catalytic converters do?

Answer 57

They allow pollutants to react and create safer gases

Question 58

Equations for the reaction which takes place in catalytic converters

Answer 58

Carbon monoxide + Nitrogen monoxide -> Carbon dioxide + Nitrogen 2CO + 2NO -> 2CO2 + N2

Question 59

What gases are in our air?

Answer 59

Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Argon and other rare gases