Chemistry - air and water Flashcards
what was the earths first atmosphere composed of?
- lots of CO2
- lots of water vapour
- other gases like ammonia, methane and argon
what was the first atmosphere formed from?
volcanic eruptions
why does the first rain fall and oceans form?
the earths temp falls to 100 degrees Celsius
what happens to the CO2 in the atmosphere when the earths temp falls to 100 degrees?
some CO2 is removed as it dissolves in the oceans
what happens after the first oceans form?
the first plants evolve - so more CO2 is removed and the first O2 is made (photosynthesis)
what’s the test for oxygen?
oxygen relights a glowing splint in a test tube
what happens after the first plants evolve?
the first animals evolve - and when they die they sink to the bottom of the sea and get covered in sedimentation (fossils!)
what are the remains of animals turned into ( and over what time frame)
fossil fuels - coal oil and gas, over millions of years
when did the atmosphere change to something similar to our current atmosphere? (and what was the make up of the atmosphere?)
400 M years ago : 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon and 0.03% carbon dioxide
why has the carbon dioxide level increased to 0.04%?
mainly due to the combustion of fossil fuels
what other things also brought water to the earth?
icy comets
what other planets’ atmospheres was the earths early atmosphere similar to
Venus and Mars
when did life on earth begin and what did this take the form of?
3.4 billion years ago, simple bacteria like organisms
how did organisms make food for themselves without water?
the breakdown of other chemicals as a source of energy
what were examples of the first photosynthesising organisms?
more bacteria and algae
when were the levels of O2 rising steadily and why?
2 billion years ago, algae and bacteria filled the seas
when did the evolution of animals start to happen?
when plants had evolved and colonised most of the surface of the earth
what happens (once animals started to evolve) to the earliest microorganisms?
they couldn’t tolerate O2 and they largely die out
where did most of the CO2 in the atmosphere go?
into living organisms - and taken up by plants and turned into new plant material
how do animals acquire the carbon, and what does it transfer into?
they eat the plants and the c turns into bones, teeth and shells
what do the dead bodies of lots of living organisms form?
sedimentary rocks like limestone
how does the earth turn fossils into fossil fuels?
the movements of the earth crushes them up and heats them creating fossil fuels - but a lot of CO2 stays in the earths crust locked up
how were ammonia and methane removed from the old atmosphere?
reacted with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen
there are annual fluctuations in the levels of CO2 - how is this related to plants?
it’s because of the seasonal differences of plants - so show how important plants are for removing CO2 from the atmosphere
with lots of CO2 in the atmosphere what happens to the reaction between that and seawater and what does it make?
the reaction increases - making instructions Lübke carbonated and soluble hydrogen carbonate which just remain in the sea water - acting as a buffer but the oceans will not be able to cope forever
what increases the amount of methane in the atmosphere?
raising and reading more ruminants (cows and sheep)