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UK GCSE Chemistry > Chemistry of the Atmosphere (C9) > Flashcards

Chemistry of the Atmosphere (C9) Flashcards

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1
Q

What gasses are present in the atmosphere today?

A 
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapour
Argon (and other noble gassses)
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2
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere today is nitrogen?

A

78%

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3
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere today is oxygen?

A

21%

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4
Q

For how long have the gasses in our atmosphere been constant?

A

About 200 million years

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5
Q

How old is the earth?

A

About 4.6 billion years
(4600000000)
(4.6X10^9)

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6
Q

What contributed to the gasses in the early atmosphere?

A

Volcanoes (water vapour, carbon dioxide and nitrogen)

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7
Q

How did oceans form?

A

Water vapour cooled

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8
Q

Which planets did the Earth’s early atmosphere seem similar to?

A

Mars

Venus

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9
Q

What did volcanoes release?

A 
Water Vapour
Carbon Dioxide
Nitrogen
Methane
Ammonia
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10
Q

What was the main gas in the early atmosphere?

A

Almost purely Carbon Dioxide and a bit of Nitrogen

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11
Q

Why did levels of CO2 fall in the early atmosphere?

A

As oceans formed CO2 dissolved into them (forming a weak acid)
Over time, this formed sediments of carbonate rock to form on the sea bed
Some carbon dioxide was also used to make corals and shells for organisms

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12
Q

What do corals and the shells of organisms form when they die?

A

Limestone

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13
Q

How did oxygen first form in the atmosphere?

A

Photosynthetic algae evolved (and then plants and animals)

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14
Q

When did oxygen begin to form in the atmosphere?

A

2.7 Billion years ago

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15
Q

How did algae effect the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?

A

Lowered it as photosynthesis takes in CO2 as a reactant

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16
Q

How long do fossil fuels take to form?

A

Millions of years

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17
Q

What is meant by the term non-renewable?

A

If we continue to use the resource we will eventually exhaust all the sources

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18
Q

What does coal form from?

A

Remains of ferns and trees

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19
Q

What conditions are needed for ferns and trees not to decompose?

A

Marshy wetlands

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20
Q

What may cause ferns and trees not to decompose?

A

Lack of oxygen or acidic conditions

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21
Q

What conditions are needed to form coal?

A

High temperature and Pressure

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22
Q

What does crude oil form from?

A

Plankton

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23
Q

What conditions are needed for plankton not to decompose?

A

No oxygen present

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24
Q

What conditions are needed to form crude oil?

A

Crude oil

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25
Q

What does natural gas form from?

A

Plankton

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26
Q

What is the main hydrocarbon in natural gas?

A

Methane

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27
Q

Which two fossil fuels form in the most similar way?

A

Natural gas and crude oil

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28
Q

What are the three fossil fuels?

A

Coal
Natural gas
Crude oil

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29
Q

What do all fossil fuels contain?

A

Trapped carbon

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30
Q

How do fossil fuels end up with carbon?

A

It was in the carbon dioxide the organism took in from photosynthesis

31
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere is water vapour?

A

It is variable depending on temperature

32
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide?

A

0.04%

33
Q

What percentage of the atmosphere is methane?

A

0.0002%

34
Q

Name 3 Greenhouse Gasses

A

Methane
Carbon Dioxide
Water Vapour

35
Q

What type of radiation travels towards Earth?

A

Short Wave-length

36
Q

What happens to short-wave radiation?

A

Some is reflected by the atmosphere but most enters it easily and is absorbed

37
Q

Why does short-length radiation generally pass through the atmosphere?

A

It does not interact with the gasses in it

38
Q

What does the Earth do when it absorbs short wave-length radiation?

A

Radiates the energy as long wave-length radiation

39
Q

What happens to long wave-length radiation in the atmosphere?

A

Some leaves, some reacts with the greenhouse gasses and this causes the energy to become trapped

40
Q

What happens when energy is trapped in the atmosphere?

A

It warms up

41
Q

Why is the greenhouse effect necessary?

A

It keeps the Earth warm enough for life to be sustained

42
Q

What makes CO2 levels increase?

A

Burning fossil fuels and deforestation

43
Q

What makes methane levels increase?

A

Cows Farting

Rice Paddy Fields

44
Q

Effects of Climate Change

A

Melting Ice caps
More severe weather
Chang distribution of insects and their diseases
Forces Animals to move

45
Q

Why do scientists subject their findings to peer review?

A

Detect False Claims

46
Q

Why is it so difficult to create accurate models for climate change?

A

Too complex

47
Q

What is a carbon footprint?

A

The total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses emitted over the full life cycle of a product, service or event

48
Q

What events greatly increase carbon foot prints?

A

Heating homes
Driving Cars
Generating Electricity

49
Q

How can we lower emissions produced by heating homes?

A

Less warm

More insulators

50
Q

How can we lower emissions produced by driving cars?

A

Public Transport

51
Q

How can we lower emissions produced by generating electricity?

A

Energy efficient appliances
Turn appliances off
Switching to renewable sources

52
Q

What are two of the main reasons people are reluctant to make eco-friendly switches?

A

Convenience

Cost

53
Q

What are the biggest sources of methane?

A

Agriculture

Landfills

54
Q

How can we more sustainable use the methane in landfills?

A

Trapping and burning it

55
Q

What are the negatives of trapping and burning methane?

A

Cost

56
Q

When do fuels release energy?

A

When Combusted

57
Q

Give two examples of fuels

A

Coal

Hydrocarbons

58
Q

What is coal often used for?

A

Generating electricity

59
Q

What are hydrocarbons often used for?

A

Powering vehicles

60
Q

What two elements do fuels contain?

A

Hydrogen

Carbon

61
Q

General equation for complete combustion

A

Fuel + Oxygen -> Carbon Dioxide + Water

62
Q

What type of reaction is combustion?

A

Oxidation

63
Q

What happens if amounts of oxygen are too low during combustion?

A

Carbon Monoxide forms instead of carbon dioxide

64
Q

What fuel most commonly contains sulphur?

A

Coal

65
Q

When does sulphur Dioxide form?

A

Burning of coal

Oxidation

66
Q

When do oxides of nitrogen form?

A

In engines

67
Q

Why do we not specify which oxide is formed when nitrogen and oxygen react in engines?

A

A range of different molecules form

We call this NOx

68
Q

What negative impacts do oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide cause?

A

Dissolve to create acid rain

Creating breathing problems

69
Q

What does acid rain commonly corrode?

A

Limestone

70
Q

What is soot made off?

A

Particles of carbon and unburnt hydrocarbons

71
Q

What type of pollution is soot?

A

Particulate

72
Q

How do particulates damage human health?

A

Increase risk of heart and lung disease

73
Q

Describe Global Dimming

A

Particulates limit the amount of energy from the sun that reaches the Earth’s surface

UK GCSE Chemistry (9 decks)

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