Chemical Monitoring and Management Flashcards
what is collaboration?
the sharing of findings, information and research methods between scientisists in different sub disciplines
why is collaboration important?
- collaboration reduces the work load for chemists, thus relieving stress and thus increasing efficiency. this reduces the time taken to complete a given project and reduces cost
- the communication of ideas to share knowledge allows for the advancment of research and personal growth and collective chemists can bounce ideas off eachother and learn new skills and develop more as a person
- different chemists specialise in different fields and hence some problems are better soled with the assistance of specialist chemists. Also, most real world problems occuring today require a broad range of chemical knowledge which only a selectiv few specialise in
- reliablity and validity are strengthened by peer crtiquing
what is an example of a chemical reaction which needs monitoring?
combustion of petrol
why does the combustion of petrol need monitoring?
the combustion of petrol results in the formation of different products depending on the conditions involved. some of these products are powerful pollutants such as carbon dioxide and soot
what happens when oxygen is in plentiful supply in combustion?
complete combustion occurs! this means that the byproducts of the reaction are water and carbon dioxide
why is complete combustion often unlikely in regards to the combustion of petrol?
assuming octane is petrol, for every one mole of petrol that is burnt, an incredible 12.5 mol of oxygen is required for complete combustion. often in small and confined systems, such as in the engines of cars, complete combustion rarely occurs due to this large oxygen supply
what are the usual products of incomplete combustion?
soot, carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide
why is carbon monoxide bad?
-disrupts the human bodys ability to transport oxygen by displacing oxygen in the blood by affecting haemoglobin molecules. this deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen
why is soot bad?
- when breathed in can cause respiratory conditions such as coronary heart disease, ashma, bronchitis and even cancer.
- soot build up in car engines can cause more engine wear and tear
at high temperatures, what else do combustion reactions form and why are these products bad?
nitrogen gas and oxygen gas can react to form the famous nitrous oxides such as nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide
these oxides not only can cause acid rain but, in particular nitrogen dioxide, can produce photochemical smog, leaving ozone, which is a powerful lung irritant and oxidising agent even in small conentations which is extremely toxic to humans
because petrol contains impurities, what else can be indirectly formed in combustion reactions and why are these products bad?
sulfur impurities in petrol can react with oxygen gas in the air at high temp and form sulfur dioxide. sulfur dioxide can cause a multitude of respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and can form acid rain
carbon dioxide is often released as a by product during combustion. why isnt it as bad as a pollutant than other combustion pollutants?
carbon dioxide can be harmful, but it is mostly absorbed into the environment
what are some chemist faculties?
- analytical chemistry
- Nuclear Chemistry
- Industrial chemistry
- forensic chemistry
what is ammonia used to make?
- cleaning products on both an industrial and domestic level
- Fertilisers such as ammonium phosphate, sulfate and nitrate
- Nitric acid
why is ammonia used to make cleaning products?
acqueous ammonia solution is used as a cleaning agent because of its basic nature, allowing it to emulsify grease stains and other unwanted marks.
it also leaves no residue behind because the water and ammonia in the solution evaporates into the air
why is ammonia used to make fertilisers?
ammonia is a source of fixed nitrogen, an element which is essential in the growth of plants
why are fertilisers and thus ammonia important?
fertilisers are used to satisfy the demands of farmers growing food crops
how are most fertilisers made?
by reacting ammonia with some common acids including HNO3, H2SO4, and H3PO4
how is ammonia made to produce nitric acid?
through the oswald process
what can be made with nitric acid?
- fertilisers
- can produce gunpowder and explosives
why are nitrogen compounds used to make explosives? give examples
some nitrogen compounds or mixtures have the ability to decompose suddenly and produce large volumes of gas at extreme pressure, making them the perfect explosive
examples include TNT (trinitrotoluene), gunpowder (potassium nitrate) and dynamite (nitroglycerin)
what is the haber process?
the industrial process used to make ammonia from its constituent gases nitrogen and hydrogen
what are some characteristics of the haber process reaction?
- its reversible (le chateliers principle oh boy!)
- its exothermic
- involves the elements nitrogen and hydrogen
- proceeds very slowly at atmospheric temp and pressure
how can nitrogen be obtained for the haber process?
- via fractional distillation of liquefied air
- when methane reacts with air over a nickel catalyst to remove oxygen, which would form an explosive mixture with hydrogen if it were allowed to remain. in the process, hydrogen and nitrogen are formed
2CH4(g) + O2(g) + 4N2(g) –> 2CO(g) + 4H2(g) + 4N2(g)