CHEMISTRY AND THE ENVIRONMENT Flashcards
Formation of the Atmosphere
1. _________
4.5 Million years ago, the atmosphere was composed of Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia and Methane,
similar to the atmosphere of Saturn and Jupiter today
2. ___________
Volcanic activity from the Earth’s solid crust released gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide
and ammonia, similar to the atmosphere of Mars and Venus today
As the Earth grew cooler, water vapor formed into clouds creating rain, which resulted to
formation of the _______
_______ was formed from the breakdown of ammonia due to sunlight
Other gases formed were hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide in trace amounts, with
hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and chlorine
Primitive Atmosphere
Secondary Atmosphere
ocean
Nitrogen
Formation of the Atmosphere
3. _______
Oxygen was produced from
a. dissociation of water vapor by strong _________
b. Photosynthesis of ___________
c. ____________ of metals present in the Earth’s surface
Oxygen molecules started absorbing UV radiations resulting to the formation of ______ Formation of O3 made life on Earth possible
. Oxidizing Atmosphere
ultraviolet radiation
cyanobacteria
Oxidation
ozone
(O3)
___________
➢ thick mixture of gases surrounding the Earth’s surface
➢ serves as a shield used to protect life, making our planet unique
➢ mixture of gases is forced to remain near the Earth’s surface due to gravity
➢ decrease in atmospheric material is observed with increase in altitude, until it gradually
reaches outer space
___________
➢ an imaginary line which identifies the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space
Atmosphere
Karman Line
Year of Discovery Element/Compound Discovered by
1750s Carbon dioxide _______
1766 Hydrogen ____________
1772 Nitrogen ____________
1774 Oxygen __________ and
1772 (published in 1777) _______
1840 Ozone ____________
1894 Argon _____________
Joseph Black
Henry Cavendish
Daniel Rutherford
Joseph Priestly
Carl Wilhem Scheele
Christian Friedrich Schonbein
Lord Rayleigh and William Ramsay
Year Scientist Discovery
1924 ____________Developed a spectrophotometer and started measurements of totalcolumn ozone
1930 ___________ Described the theory that explains the existence of the ozone layer
1960 ____________ Described the emergence of the photochemical smog
1973 _________ First detected chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the Atmosphere
1995
___________
___________
____________
Awarded jointly the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in
atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and
decomposition of ozone
Gordon Dobson
Sydney Chapman
Arie Jan Haagen-Smit
James Lovelock
Paul Crutzen
Mario Molina
Frank Sherwood Rowland
Atmospheric Composition
Atmospheric gases are generally classified by their _____________
___________
the average amount of time that a gas spends in the atmosphere
It can be estimated as the amount of the compound in the atmosphere divided by the rate at which
this compound is removed from the atmosphere
amount and residence time.
Residence Time
Composition of the Atmosphere as Percent by Volume of Gases
Nitrogen _______
Oxygen _______
Argon _____
Carbon
Dioxide ______
Trace Gases ________
78.08%
20.95%
0.934%
0.035%
0.001%
Atmospheric Gases
_________
an inert gas fundamental to all living systems
Removed from the atmosphere through a process called _______ wherein
atmospheric N2
is reduced to form ammonia.
can be “fixed” or removed by soil bacteria or by lightning during precipitation.
can be returned to the atmosphere by biomass combustion and denitrification.
________ – the reduction of nitrates to gaseous nitrogen by microorganisms in a
series of biochemical reactions
NITROGEN
nitrogen fixation
Denitrification
Atmospheric Gases
_________
exchange between the atmosphere and biosphere is realized by
_______________.
________
third most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
OXYGEN
photosynthesis and respiration
ARGON
Atmospheric Gases
____________
is mostly concentrated on the lower atmosphere (about 90% of total atmospheric water
vapor found in the lower ______ atmospheric layer, and 99% of it found in the ________
_________ the capacity of air to hold water vapor dependent solely of air
temperature. The higher the temperature, the __________ that can be
held without condensation.
important for radiation and energy budgets of the atmosphere, and in the formation of
clouds and precipitation
absorbs about 70% of the incoming shortwave solar radiation, and about 60% of outgoing
long-wave radiations, making it the ___________
___________ – describes the net flow of energy into the Earth which is mainly in the
form of shortwave radiation and infrared longwave radiation
WATER VAPOR
5 km
troposphere
Saturation Level
greater amount of water vapor
most significant greenhouse gas.
Energy/Heat Budget
Atmospheric Gases
_____________
an important greenhouse gas since it has a strong absorption capacity of infrared and
near-infrared radiation
it is continually exchanged between the atmosphere and biosphere through
____________
Some of atmospheric CO2 are dissolved by the _________.
increase in CO2 levels has been observed due to growing industries and human
activities, like burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other forms of land-use
change. Man-made activities like these contributed to global warming with the
increase of the greenhouse effect
CARBON DIOXIDE
photosynthesis and respiration
seas and oceans
________
a chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen
contains strong covalent bonds that hold two
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom together
bonded as H-O-H with a bond angle of 105°
between the two hydrogen atoms in liquid
water and a large angle of 109° 6’ for ice
Three isotopes of hydrogen and three of
oxygen exist in nature, therefore _______ varieties
of water molecules are possible
WATER
18
WATER
electrons are ______ shared between the
oxygen and hydrogen atoms
hydrogen atoms are slightly ______ in charge
while the oxygen atom is slightly negative in
charge, forming hydrogen bonds
___________ – a weak bond between
polar compounds where hydrogen atom of one
molecule is attracted to an electronegative
atom of another molecule. Water can form up
to _ hydrogen bonds
unequally
positive
Hydrogen Bond
4
WATER
expected to be gaseous at room
temperature yet due to the
many hydrogen bonds it
contains, it is ____.
Liquid water has higher
coordination number than _____
__________ – the
average number of nearest neighbor
atoms with respect to a central
atom
liquid.
ice
Coordination Number
CHEMISTRY OF WATER
WATER
Specific Heat - ______
________ – the energy
required to convert 1 gram of ice to water
at 0 °C, estimated at 80 calories
____________ – the
energy required to convert 1 gram of
liquid water into vapor at 100 °C,
estimated at540 calories
1 cal/g/°C
Latent Heat of Fusion
Latent Heat of Vaporization