Chemicals in our lives Flashcards
Who studies rocks?
Geologists
What do geologists learn from rocks?
How rocks form, how they change, how and when changes happen.
What are the chunks of the earth’s crust that move called?
Tectonic plates
How do tectonic plates interact?
Slide past each other, collide or pull apart
What builds mountains?
Plate collisions.
How can geologists explain the past history of the earth?
By observing what happens today and assuming that would have happened in the past.
Has Britain always been where it is now (on the earth’s globe)?
No, it has drifted over the years.
Where was Britain 600 million years ago?
Near the south pole - and we had an ocean between England and Scotland
What happened to the different continents as the drifted?
They all crashed together to form a supercontinent
What was the supercontinent called?
Pangea
What sort of rock is formed when lava cools?
Igneous.
What happens to the magnetic materials in lava in the earth’s magnetic field?
They line up with the magnetic field.
What happens to the magnetic field of the earth over time?
It changes.
How do igneous rocks support the theory of continental drift?
The magnetic fields are not lined up with the current poles, and show slow progression over time.
What are rocks, from an industrial point of view?
Raw materials buried in the ground.
Give some examples of rocks used as raw materials.
Coal, salt, limestone. (Salt = NaCl, limestone = CaCO3)
How is limestone formed?
Sea creatures die and their skeletons form sediment. Sedimentary rocks form, pushed to the surface by plate tectonic movements.
How is coal formed?
Trees and other plants die and are covered by a swamp, where the low oxygen makes decay very slow. Pressure eventually makes coal.
How are salt deposits formed?
Rivers wash it to the sea or lakes, then evaporation leaves it behind, it gets buried by other sediments.
Salt is found in Cheshire. What does this tell you about the history of Cheshire?
It was covered by a shallow sea.
What evidence is there for our theory of how coal is formed?
Fossils of plants found in coal
What evidence is there for our theory of how limestone is formed?
Limestone contains bits of sea creatures and shells.
What evidence is there for our theory of rock salt formation?
Rock salt contains different shaped grains that show water erosion and wind erosion.
What is salt used for?
The food industry; as a source of chemicals (sodium and chlorine); to put on roads in winter.
How can we obtain salt?
Evaporation of sea water; mining salt deposits.
What is the chemical formula for salt?
NaCl
Why is rock salt used for spreading on roads?
Sand in rock salt gives grip; sand is easily visible so it is easy to see where the salt is; salt in solution lowers the freezing point of water.
How many rock salt mines in the UK?
One, in Cheshire.
Where would you choose to extract salt from sea water?
In hot countries, it is not economical in the UK
What could happen if you extract all the salt in a specific part of the mine?
Subsidence
What can be done to reduce the risk of subsidence?
Leave salt behind to hold the rocks up - about half is currently left.
How, other than digging, can salt be mined?
Solution mining
How does solution mining work?
Pump high pressure water into the mine, it dissolves the salt and brine comes up.
What is the advantage of solution mining?
automatic; leaves the sand behind and produces purer salt
What is the risk of mining salt?
If water gets into the mine it can dissolve salt and that could contaminate the water supply
Why is salt added to food?
flavour; preserves food
How does salt preserve food?
It draws water out of living things by osmosis.
What are the health implications of too much salt?
It is bad for health.
What health problems can salt cause?
high blood pressure; heart failure; strokes
What is salt classified as?
A hazard.
What is the (health) definition of risk?
The chance of getting ill, and the consequence if you did.
How can the risk associated with eating salt be estimated?
By measuring salt intake.
How can you know how much salt is in a food product?
The label has to show how much salt is in it.
What does knowing the risk allow you to do?
Make informed decisions.