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Chemistry GCSE > Chemistry of the Atmosphere > Flashcards

Chemistry of the Atmosphere Flashcards

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1
Q

% of gases in atmosphere today:

A

approx. 80% nitrogen
approx. 20% oxygen
less than 1% other gases, e.g. carbon dioxide, water vapour, noble gases

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2
Q

What was the first phase of the evolution of the atmosphere?

A

Volcanic activity

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3
Q

What did intense volcanic activity release?

A

Carbon dioxide, steam, ammonia and methane

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4
Q

What was the early atmosphere when volcanic activity took place like?

A

Mostly carbon dioxide and no oxygen gas

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5
Q

What was the second phase of the evolution of the atmosphere?

A

Oceans, algae and green plants absorb carbon dioxide

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6
Q

How where oceans formed?

A

Water vapour condensed and rained

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7
Q

How do oceans remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

A

Carbon dioxide dissolves in the oceans

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8
Q

What did dissolved carbon dioxide in oceans do?

A

Went through a series of reactions and formed carbon precipitates that formed sediments on the seabed

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9
Q

How do algae and green plants reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

A

Through photosynthesis

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10
Q

What do marine animals’ shells and skeletons contain?

A

Carbonates from the oceans

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11
Q

What happened to the carbon that organisms took from the atmosphere and oceans?

A

They became locked up in rocks and fossil fuels after the organisms died

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12
Q

How are fossil fuels formed?

A

Plants, plankton and marine animals die, fall onto seabed, get buried by layers of sediment, become compressed and form sedimentary rocks, oil and gas, trapping carbon within them

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13
Q

How is crude oil and natural gas formed?

A

From deposits of plankton - form reservoirs under seabed when trapped inside rocks

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14
Q

What is coal made from?

A

Thick plant deposits

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15
Q

What is limestone?

A

A sedimentary rock

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16
Q

What is limestone made of?

A

Calcium carbonate deposits from the shells and skeletons of marine organisms

17
Q

What was the third phase of the evolution of the atmosphere?

A

Green plants and algae produce oxygen

18
Q

What evolved first to produce oxygen?

A

Algae

19
Q

What did the percentage increase of oxygen allow?

A

More complex life, like animals to evolve

20
Q

What is released into the atmosphere during combustion of fossil fuels?

A

Carbon dioxide and water vapour

21
Q

When does incomplete combustion take place?

A

When there isn’t enough oxygen present

22
Q

What does incomplete combustion release?

A

Carbon monoxide and particulates

23
Q

What are particulates?

A

Solid particles of soot or unburnt fuel

24
Q

What can happen if particulates are inhaled?

A

They can cause respiratory problems - they are small enough to access the airways to the lungs are some are small enough to penetrate the alveoli

25
Q

Why are particulates bad for the environment?

A

Because they or the clouds they produce reflect sunlight back into space, meaning less light reaches Earth - causes global dimming

26
Q

How can carbon monoxide be reduced?

A

By a catalytic converter

27
Q

Why is carbon monoxide dangerous in the body?

A

It can stop your blood from carrying oxygen by binding to the haemoglobin so less oxygen can be transported around the body - lack of oxygen - lead to fainting, coma, death

28
Q

Why is carbon monoxide hard to detect?

A

It has no colour or smell

29
Q

When is sulfur dioxide released?

A

During combustion of fossil fuels that contain sulfur impurities

30
Q

How is nitrogen oxide created?

A

From nitrogen and oxygen in the air reacting because of the heat of burning

31
Q

What happens when sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide mix with clouds?

A

They form dilute sulfuric acid or dilute nitric acid

32
Q

What does dilute sulfuric acid or dilute nitric acid (formed when mixed with clouds) do?

A

It falls as acid rain - kills plants, damages buildings and statues, makes metal corrode

33
Q

How is sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide bad for human health?

A

If breathed in they can cause respiratory problems

34
Q

How can the production of sulfur dioxide be reduced?

A

Removal of sulfur from the fuel prior to combustion

Using scrubbers in power stations to remove SO2

35
Q

How can the production of nitrogen oxide be reduced?

A

Using a catalytic converter to convert the nitrogen oxide into nitrogen gas

Chemistry GCSE (10 decks)

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