Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Grace Chemistry > Chemistry 1 - Core > Flashcards

Chemistry 1 - Core Flashcards

(65 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What is the Earth surrounded by a thin layer of?

A

Atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does the atmosphere contain?

A 
78% nitrogen
21% oxygen
1% argon (other noble gasses) 
Small amounts - water vapour, carbon dioxide and particulates)
CO2 - 0.035%
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

When was the Earth formed?

A

4.6 billion years ago

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What did the earliest atmosphere contain?

A

Ammonia, water vapour, carbon dioxide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How did the seas form?

A

From water vapour in the atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What lead to the decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide, and increase in oxygen?

A

The evolution of photosynthesising organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What happened to carbon dioxide after it dissolved in the oceans?

A

Carbon became locked up in sedimentary rocks as carbonates and fossil fuels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are pollutants?

A

Chemicals that harm the environment and our health

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What can pollutants affect directly?

A

Food chains, health etc

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How can pollutants have an indirect effect?

A

Through acid rain etc - it causes things which in turn have an effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is carbon dioxide harmful to and how?

A

The environment - traps heat in the earths atmosphere - leading to global warming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is nitrogen oxide harmful to and how?

A

The environment and humans - can cause acid rain and breathing problems and make asthma worse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is sulfur dioxide harmful to and how?

A

The environment and causes acid rain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is carbon monoxide harmful to and how?

A

Humans - displaces oxygen in blood - binds to oxygen cite on red blood cell permanently

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are particulates harmful to and how?

A

Environment, humans, make buildings dirty - make asthma and lung infections worse if inhaled

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How is pollutant concentration measured?

A

In Parts Per Million (ppm) and Parts Per Billion (ppb)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What can affect the measuring of pollutants?

A

1- variables (volume of traffic and weather)
2- measuring equipments accuracy
3- use of skill (will effect the use of accuracy and precision)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are outliers?

A

They do not follow the general pattern of data - normally indicate some form of error

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Why is it important to repeat measurements?

A

A single set of data may not be reliable - you cannot tell

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How can you overcome small variations and get an estimate of the true value?

A

By calculating the mean

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Where do the carbon monoxide emissions come from?

A

Around half from road transport, the rest from homes and other idustries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the correlation between carbon monoxide in the city and in the country park?

A

The mean carbon monoxide in the city is significantly higher than the park, supporting the theory it is produced by humans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What are elements?

A

The building blocks for all materials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How many elements are there?

A

Over 100

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are elements made up of?
Very tiny particles called atoms
26
What is specific about the atoms in one element?
They are all the same, and are unique to that element
27
What happens when atoms join together?
They form bigger building blocks called molecules
28
How are compounds formed?
When the atoms of two or more elements join chemically
29
What are chemical symbols and numbers used for?
To write formulae
30
What do formulae show?
The different elements that make up compound | The number of atoms of each different element in each molecule
31
What happens during a chemical reaction?
New substances are formed from old ones
32
Why are new substances formed during a chemical reaction?
The atoms in the reactants (starting substances) are rearranged in some wau
33
Can chemical changes be reversed?
Not easily
34
What is oxidation?
A chemical reaction that occurs when oxygen joins with an element or compound
35
What is reduction?
When oxygen is lost from a substance
36
What is combustion?
A chemical reaction that occurs when fuels burn, releasing energy as heat
37
What must be present for combustion to take place?
Oxygen
38
What is combustion an example of?
Oxidation
39
What is coal?
A fossil fuel containing mostly carbon
40
What is not produced during a chemical reaction?
Atoms
41
What happens to the number of atoms during a reaction?
It remains the same on either side of the equation - maintain mass
42
What is one result of the conservation of atoms during a reaction?
The production of some pollutants
43
Fossil fuels consist mainly of what compounds?
Hydrocarbons
44
What causes a burning reaction to be more rapid?
When fuel burns in pure oxygen rather than air
45
What is causes when a fuel is burned without the presence of enough oxygen?
Incomplete combustion
46
What does incomplete combustion lead to?
The production of carbon particulates or carbon monoxide
47
What can high temperatures during fuel combustion lead to?
Nitrogen in the atmosphere reacting with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides
48
What are the stages of nitrogen oxides production?
nitrogen reacting with oxygen - produce nitrogen monoxide | nitrogen monoxide is then oxidised - produce nitrogen dioxide
49
What are NO and NO2 called when together?
oxides of nitrogen (written as NOx)
50
What happens to carbon particulates once in the atmosphere?
They are deposited on surfaces (buildings etc) making them dirty
51
What happens to carbon dioxide when in the atmosphere?
Some is removed by plants during photosynthesis, some dissolves in rain and sea water where it reacts with other chemicals in the water
52
Each year what happens to the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
It rises as we are producing too much to use up naturally
53
What produces acid rain?
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide dissolved in water
54
What can acid rain do?
Cause damage to trees, erode stonework, corrode metal, upset pH balance of rivers and lakes - if water is too acidic, plants and animals will die - effecting entire food chain
55
How do scientists find out exactly how air quality affects up?
By looking for correlations that might link a factor to an outcome
56
How do scientists specify the outcomes to individual factors?
By carrying out secondary tests, eliminating all other variables
57
How do you know if results are reliable?
When the test can be repeated multiple times and receive the same outcome
58
Emissions from power stations can be removed by?
1- using less electricity so fewer fossil fuels need to be burned 2- removing toxic chemicals before they are burned 3- using alternative, renewable sources of energy 4- using a filter system to remove sulfur dioxide and particulates from flue gasses before they leave a coal burning power stations chimney
59
How is sulfur dioxide removed from flue gases?
By wet scrubbing using an alkaline slurry or seawater
60
What happens during wet scrubbing?
The sulfur dioxide in the flue gas is dissolved when contacted by a slurry of either lime stone (calcium carbonate) or lime (calcium oxide) and water. The absorbed sulfur dioxide is converted into calcium sulfate.
61
What happens during sea water scrubbing?
Sulfate salts are produced when the acidic dissolved sulfur oxides, produced when the sulfur oxides react with sea water, react with alkalis.
62
Emissions from motor vehicles can be reduced by?
1- buying a car with a more modern engine which is more efficient and burns less fuel 2- buying a hybrid car - uses electric power in the cities/ fuel for longer journeys 3- using a low sulfur fuel 4- converting the engine to run on biodiesel, a renewable fuel 5- using public transport to reduce the vehicles 6- ensuring cars are fitted with catalytic converters
63
What is a catalytic converter?
It reduces the amount of CO2 and nitrogen monoxide emitted - contains a catalyst in the exhaust of a vehicle which converts pollutant gases into less harmful ones
64
What are the benefits of recycling?
Helps to conserve natural resources | Saves energy - takes around 95% less energy to recycle and aluminium can than to make a new one
65
What has to happen when making national choices?
The benefits and needs must be weighed up against the problems

Grace Chemistry (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions