Science of the Environment Flashcards
Which method could be used to separate a mixture of sand and water?
Filtration
Describe the properties of a solid.
- Have a fixed shape
- Cannot be compressed
- Have a fixed Volume
What is the job of the vacuole?
Contains a cell sap
What is the greenhouse effect?
When the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat energy from the Sun, raising the temperature of the Earth.
Explain how oil was formed
- Millions of years ago small animals and plants died and fell to the bottom of the sea.
- Their remains were covered by mud. The mud eventually turned to rock. This rock put a lot of pressure on the dead animals and plants. Rocks around them also heated them up.
- Together the heat and the pressure turned the remains into crude oil.
- It was important that no air or oxygen was present.
Name 3 fossil fuels
- Coal
- Oil
- Gas
- Peat
What is it called when a liquid becomes a solid?
Freezing
Describe the properties of a gas.
- Spread to fill the volume of the container
- Take the shape of the container
- Can be compressed
What is the name of the black powder that was mixed with copper carbonate to make copper in an experiment?
Carbon
What is the job of the chloroplasts?
Contains chlorophyll and are the site of photosynthesis
Name three factors that can effect the rate of photosynthesis.
- Carbon dioxide concentration
- Light Intensity
- Temperature
State two effects of Global warming on the natural environment
- Loss of habitat e.g. ice caps melting polar bears losing places to live
- Desertification - increasing deserts
- Acidification of sea water
- Increasing water temperature effecting sea life
What was the name of the stain used on the onion slide?
Iodine
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Nucleus
How would you describe the particles in a solid?
In rows and columns
Which part of a cell is the site of all chemical reactions?
Cytoplasm
What causes Global Warming?
Increasing carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Nucleus
·What is a habitat?
The area where a living thing normally lives or occurs
Which part of a cell controls the functions of the cell.
Nucleus
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Cell Membrane
What does this image represent?
Molecules of an element
What is it called when a gas becomes a liquid?
Condensation
Which gas is produced as a result of photosynthesis?
Oxygen
What is the job of the nucleus?
Controls the functions of the cell.
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Cytoplasm
What is the job of the cytoplasm?
Site of chemical reactions
Name three things that plants can be used to provide.
- Medicines
- To make material for clothes
- Timber for Construction
- Food Dyes
- Fuel
How do plants provide energy for all organisms?
They turn light energy from the sun into sugar during photosynthesis.
What can filtration be used for?
To separate an insoluble solid from a liquid
What does this image represent?
Mixture of atoms of elements
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Vacuole
Name three things that a seed needs to grow.
- Suitable temperature
- Water
- Oxygen
What is an element?
An element is the basic building block of matter. In an element all the atoms are identical and an element cannot be broken down further.
Why are coal and oil called non-rewable?
These resources are called non-renewable because they will one day run out and cannot be replaced
Which part of a seed is shown?
Food Store
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Chloroplasts
Which part of a plant cell gives the cell it’s rigid shape?
Cell wall
Which gas is required for photosynthesis?
Carbon Dioxide
What happens to some of the energy released by an organism during respiration?
It is converted into heat
·What is a food chain?
A diagram showing a set of energy links between plants and animals in a habitat.
What is the chemical name for the green powder used in an experiment to make copper?
Copper carbonate
Describe the properties of a liquid.
- Take the shape of the container they are in
- Cannot be compressed
- Fixed volume
Which method could be used to separate water and alcohol?
Distillation
What is it called when a liquid becomes a gas?
Evaporation
Which part of a cell is indicated?
Cell Wall
What is the equation for photosynthesis?
Light Energy
Carbon dioxide + water → Glucose + Oxygen Chlorophyll
What is the name of the part of a leaf that opens and closes to let carbon dioxide in and oxygen and water vapour out of the leaf?
Stomata
What is the test for starch?
It turns iodine a blue/black colour
Which method of separation is this?
Distillation
In the experiment to make copper, how did you know if you had made copper?
A reddish brown substance was formed.
State one possible effect of the greenhouse effect on the UK.
- Raised sea levels could cause flooding in low lying areas
- UK will have a warmer climate resulting in possible changes to farming etc.
Which method of separation is this?
Filtration
Which part of a cell contains cell sap?
Vacuole
What is a herbivore?
An organism that only eats plants
What is a carnivore?
An organism that only eats meat
What is the area where a living thing normally lives or occurs called?
A habitat
What are the six parts of a plant cell?
- Nucleus
- Cell membrane
- Cell wall
- Cytoplasm
- Chloroplasts
- Vacuole
Why can’t plants carry out photosynthesis at night?
It is dark so there is no light energy
The pH of soil is important. What are neutral soils on the pH scale and what colour would they be?
pH 7
Green
In a fertiliser what does the nitrogen do?
Makes plant protein.
In a fertiliser what does the phosphorus do?
Used to to make enzymes
What is the name given to the process by which green plants make food using light energy from the sun?
Photosynthesis
What is it called when a solid becomes a liquid?
Melting
What can evaporation be used for?
To separate a soluble solid and a liquid, leaving only the solid.
What is an ecosystem?
It is made up of living organisms and their physical environment.
Describe the motion of particles in a liquid.
Particles in a liquid can move over each other.
What is the periodic table?
All the elements in the universe, grouped together according to their characteristics.
Which method of separation is this?
Chromatography
Which method can be used to separate a solid substance froma liquid?
Evaporation
How would you describe the particles in a liquid?
Jumbled and able to move over each other.
What is an omnivore?
An animal that eats meat and plants
What is the job of the cell wall?
To give theplant cell it’s rigid shape.
In a fertiliser what does the poatssium do?
Controls the rate of reactions such as photosynthesis.
What was a stain used to look at the cells in an onion?
To make it easier to see
State two ways that you can help reduce global warming.
- Switching off unused appliances and lights
- Using public transport
- Walking / cycling instead of using a car
- Insulating your house to reduce the heating required
Which method could be used to separate the colours of ink in a colouring in pen?
Chromatography
What is a solute?
The solid used to make a solution
State what is meant by a solvent.
The substance that dissolves the solute
The pH of soil is important. What are alkali soils on the pH scale and what colour would they be?
pH 8-14
Blues/Purples
What is the name given to copper ore?
Malachite
What can distillation be used for?
To separate liquids with different boiling points
What is the process by which cells release energy in living things.
Cellular respiration
What do the arrows in a food chain show?
The direction of energy flow
What is a diagram showing a set of energy links between plants and animals in a habitat.
A food chain
Which part of the cell contains chlorophyll to absorb light energy from the Sun for use in photosynthesis?
Chloroplasts
What does this image represent?
Atoms of an element
State what is meant by a compound.
A compound is formed when 2 or more elements are chemically joined together
Which part of a cell controls what enters and exits the cell?
Cell Membrane
What can chromatography be used for?
To separate ink/paint colours
What does this image represent?
Mixture of molecules of compounds.
What is meant by soluble?
a solid that can dissolve
The pH of soil is important. What are acidic soils on the pH scale and what colour would they be?
pH 1-6
Red/Orange
What does this image represent?
Molecules of a compound
What is a solution?
A solid dissolved in a liquid
How would you describe the particles in a gas?
Spread out and able to move away from each other.
Explain how coal was formed.
- Coal formed approximately 300 million years ago from the remains of trees and other vegetation.
- These remains were trapped on the bottom of swamps, accumulating layer after layer and creating a dense material called peat.
- As this peat was buried more and more underground, the high temperatures and pressure transformed it into coal.
Suggest an example when you might want to control the rate of a reaction.
- Reducing the speed of rusting
- Increasing the rate of burning fuel
- Decreasing the rate that energy is released
- Increasing the speed of burning
What is made up of living organisms and their physical environment?
An ecosystem
What is meant by photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is the name given to the process by which green plants make food using light energy from the sun.
What is the job of the cell membrane?
Controls what enters and exits the cell
State what is meant by a renewable energy source.
An energy source which will not run out or can be replenished within a human lifetime.
List 3 sources of renewable energy
- Geothermal
- Hydro-electric
- Solar
- Wind
State the energy change in a solar cell
Light energy to electrical energy
State the energy change in a generator
Kinetic energy to electrical energy
A turbine is usually connected to which other mechanical part to produce energy
Generator
In a wind turbine, which part is spun by the movement of the wind?
Turbine blades
Name the type of energy stored by the water in the dam of a hydro electric power station.
(Gravitational) Potential Energy
State the energy change in a hydro-electric power station as the water runs from the dam down to the power station.
Potential energy to kinetic energy
Name the part of the hydro-electric power station that is turned by the water.
Turbine
In a geothermal power station what is used to heat the water?
Hot rocks in the ground
State the energy change in the turbine of a geothermal power station.
Heat energy to kinetic energy
State 2 advantages of solar energy
- Do not produce greenhouse gases
- Low maintenance
- Source of energy is free do not need fuel
- Does not harm the environment
- Long Lifetime
State a disadvantage of solar cells
- Expensive to install
- Can take up large areas of ground
- Not always a reliable output - varying light levels
State 2 advantages of hydro-electric energy.
- Does not produce greenhouse gases
- No fuel or fuel supply issues
- Reliable energy output
- Flexible power output as it can be increased and decreased easily
State one disadvantage of hydro-electric energy.
- Expensive to build
- Lack of suitable locations to build new power stations
- Loss of land which is flooded / relocation of people who lived there
- Changes to water flow downstream can effect the ecosystem or farmers further downstream
- Droughts can affect operation
State two advantages of wind power.
- Do not produce greenhouse gases
- Low operational costs
- Source of energy is free do not need fuel - wind will never run out
- Can co-exist with other land uses
State one disadvantage of wind power
- Power output is not reliable
- Noise from rotor blades
- Light flicker from blades can affect people
- Considered to be ugly - people object to them in scenic areas
- Blades can kill bird life
- Expensive to construct
State two advantages of Geothermal Energy.
- Produces significantly less greenhouse gases than coal, oil or gas produced energy
- Reliable source of energy
- Occupy small amount of land
- Low maintenance costs
State one disadvantage of geothermal energy
- Expensive to build
- Can pollute and use up a lot of freshwater
- Limited locations near volcanic regions
Metals are all good at 6 things. List them.
- Good conductors of heat
- Good conductors of electricity
- Malleable
- Shiny
- Ductile
- Sonorous
Describe a malleable metal.
One capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers - a metal that is easy to shape.
Describe a ductile material.
A metal that is capable of being drawn out into wire or thread
Describe a sonorous material.
When the metal is struck it prduces a sound.
Group 1 metals are commonly known as this.
Alkali Metals
State what all Group 1 metals have in common.
They are very reactive.
State why alkali metals are stored under oil.
To prevent them reacting with air or water.
State the name given to Group 7 metals.
Halogens
Give three pieces of information about Group 7 metals.
- Unreactive
- Colourful
- As you go down the group the state changes from gas to solid
State the approximate number of elements on the periodic table.
120
State what is meant by the noble gases.
A group of unreactive gases.
State why elements are grouped on the periodic table.
They are grouped with elements of similar chemical properties.
Identify where the ‘metal staircase’ is on the periodic table.
See Image
State what the ‘metal staircase’ on the periodic table shows you.
All the elements to the left of the staircase are metals, all elements to the right of the staircase are non metals.
State 4 ways that a chemical reaction can be identified
- Colour change
- Precipitate formed (new substance)
- Gas released (fizzing and bubbling)
- Energy change (Change in temperature)
State what is meant by a solute.
A substance that is being dissolved.
State what is meant by a solution.
When a solute has dissolved in a solvent.
State what is meant by soluble.
A substace that will dissolve.
Describe how to make a saturated solution.
A soluble solute is added to a solvent until no more can dissolve.
State what is meant by a concentrated solution.
A solution with a large mass of solute in it.
State what is meant by a dilute solution.
A solution with a small mass of solute in it.
State the name given to a solution where there is a small mass of solute in it.
Dilute
State the name given to a solution where there is a large mass of solute in it.
Concentrated
Name 2 pollutants that can enter the water cycle.
- Plastics
- Wipes being flushed down toilet
- Cotton Buds
- Chemicals
- Oil poured down sinks
- Sanitary products being flushed
Name the process being described.
“When a solid gains energy, particles vibrates faster and forces of attraction between these molecules are broken”
Melting
Describe the process of melting in terms of particles.
When a solid gains energy, particles vibrates faster and forces of attraction between these molecules are broken
Name the process being described.
“When a liquid gains more energy, the particles can move faster and break further away from each other.”
Evaporation.
Describe the process of evaporation in terms of particles.
When a liquid gains more energy, the particles can move faster and break further away from each other
Name the process being described.
“When a gas loses energy, the particles slow down and some forces of attraction begin to form.”
Condensation
Describe the process of condensation in terms of particles.
When a gas loses energy, the particles slow down and some forces of attraction begin to form.
Name the process being described.
“When a liquid loses energy, the particles are slow enough to allow forces of attraction to form fully.”
Freezing
Describe the process of freezing in terms of particles.
When a liquid loses energy, the particles are slow enough to allow forces of attraction to form fully.
Explain the water cycle.
- Starts in the ocean, where the heat of the Sun evaporates sea water. Tiny droplets of water float in the air (Water vapour).
- Water vapour rises into the sky, and as it cools it condenses back into liquid water to make clouds. The wind blows the clouds over land and they drop their water as rain, sleet or snow.
- This falls on the land as water, which allows plants to grow and gives us drinking water.
- Much of the water then flows into lakes and rivers, and is carried back to the ocean. Then the process begins again.
State the least reactive Group 1 metal.
Lithium
Where is lithium situated on the periodic table?
At the top of the Group 1 metals.
List the Group 1 metals in order of reactivity. Most reactive first.
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Lithium
State what is meant by an element.
An element is a substance that contains only one type of atom.
State what is meant by a mixture.
A mixture contains compounds and elements that are not chemically joined
Two elements are reacted to make a compound. How will the properties of the compound compare with those of the elements?
The properties of the compound will be different to the properties of the elements.
In a chemical word equation where are the reactants?
On the left hand side before the arrow.
In a chemical word equation where are the products?
On the right hand side after the arrow.
From the word equation identify the reactants.
Copper + Sulphur → Copper Sulphide
Copper and sulphur
From the word equation identify the product that would be made:
Sodium + Chlorine→
Sodium Chloride
Give an example of a pure substance
- diamond
- sulphur
- water
- tin
- sodium chloride
Give an example of a mixture
- Air
- Salt water
- Ruby
- Brass
Describe when you would use filtration.
To separate an insoluble solid from a liquid
Give an everyday example of filtration
- To separate sand and water
- To separate coffe grinds from the liquid
Explain how filtration works.
Filter paper has tiny hole in it. Liquid can pass through but the larger particles of the solid get stuck in the filter paper.
Describe when you would use filtration.
To separate two liquids that have different boiling points.
Give an everyday example of distillation.
- Separating the parts of crude oil
- Separating water and methylated spirits
- Separating water and a dye
- To make spirits more alcoholic
Explain how distillation works.
The mixture is heated. One liquid boils before the other and evaporates. It rises and travels down a delivery tube, where it condenses back into a liquid and drips into a beaker.
Describe when you would use chromatography.
To separate different coloured inks, paints, dyes etc.
Give an everyday example of chromatography.
- Identifying inks in a pen
- Identifying the number of food colourings in a bottle
- To separate blood stains
Explain how chromatography works.
A dot of the substance being tested is put on a piece of chromatography paper. The end of teh chromatography paper is put in a beaker of water. The water is sucjed up the paper and when it reaches the dot the substances colours spread out as they move at different rates.
State what is meant by a pure substance.
A pure substance is an element or a compound that has no parts of another compound or element in it.
When iron corrodes what substance is produced?
Rust
State the two substances required for corrosion to occur.
- Oxygen
- Water
Suggest one way that the rate of corrosion can be increased.
Use salty water.
The barrier method is one way to prevent corrosion. What is meant by the ‘barrier method’?
Coating the metal surface with a substance so that oxygen and water cannot reach it.
Suggest 2 ways of protecting iron using the barrier method.
- painting
- coating with plastic
- electroplating (coat with another metal)
- galvanising (coat with zinc)
State 3 ways of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction
- Decrease the particle size
- Increase the concentration
- Increase the temperature
State what is meant by a catalyst.
A chemical that will speed up a reaction but is not used up in the process ad can be recovered.
Give one advantage of using a catalyst.
- Energy costs are reduced for the reaction
- Increased reaction speed
Describe what a catalytic convertor in a car does.
Converts harmful gases in the exhaust (carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) into less harmful gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen).
State what is meant by an enzyme.
An enzyme is a biological catalyst.
Explain why fossil fuels are finite.
They took millions of years to form and humans are using them very quickly so there will be no time for them to regenerate.
State what is meant by combustion.
Burning
State what is meant by the term fuel.
A fuel is a substance that releases energy when it is burned.
List the products produced when fossil fuels are burned.
- Carbon dioxide (if there is complete combustion)
- Carbon monoxide (if there is incomplete combustion)
- Soot
Name the gases that contribute to acid rain.
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
State two effects of acid rain.
- Kill trees
- Damage metal structures
- Damage stone structures
- Cause leaching, which can kill fish.
What are the three parts of an animal cell?
- Cell membrane
- Nucleus
- Cytoplasm
Which three parts does a plant cell have but an animal cell doesn’t?
- Chloroplasts
- Cell Wall
- Vacuole
What food do plants store?
Glucose as starch.
Name the chemical used to test for starch.
Iodine
Name the substance iodine tests for.
Starch
What is the colour change in iodine if starch is present?
Brown to blue / black
List 3 ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Walk/cycle instead of using a car
- Switch off unused appliances
- Recycle waste correctly
- Eat locally produced food
- Don’t buy ‘fast fashion’ clothes
- Line dry clothes instead of tumble drying
- Insulate your home
- Switch to LED lighting
- Eat less meat
State 2 ways carbon dioxide can be removed from the environment.
- Planting / restoring forrests
- Planting cover crops when soil is bare
- Direct Air Capture
- Seawater Capture
- Enhanced Weathering
State one way that we use carbon dioxide
- electronics circuit board assembly to clean surfaces
- manufacture of semiconductor devices
- used to make urea , methanol, inorganic and organic carbonates, polyurethanes and sodium salicylate.
- Carbon dioxide is combined with epoxides to create plastics and polymers.
- It is used for water treatment;
- to keep food cool (as dry ice);
- Fire extinguishers
State one source of carbon dioxide
- decomposition,
- ocean release
- breathing
- cement production
- deforestation
- burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
- Transport
Explain how a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher works.
The carbon dioxide gas is heavier than the oxygen in the air. So the carbon dioxide displaces the oxygen from around the burning fuel. The fire is goes out because the oxygen needed to burn has been replaced by the carbon dioxide gas.
Name the group of elements highlighted on the periodic table.
Noble Gases
Name the group of elements highlighted on the periodic table.
Alkali Metals
Name the group of elements highlighted on the periodic table.
Halogens
Explain how natural gas was formed.
- Natural gas is a product of decomposed organic matter usually from ancient marine microorganisms, deposited over the past 550 million years.
- This organic matter mixed with mud, silt, and sand on the sea floor, gradually becoming buried over time.
- It is sealed off in an oxygen-free environment and exposed to increasing amounts of heat and pressure
- the organic matter underwent a thermal breakdown process that converted it into gas.
Name the product.
Copper + oxygen→
Copper Oxide
Name the product.
Magnesium + Oxygen→
Magnesium Oxide
Name the product.
Potassium + Chlorine→
Potassium Chloride
Name the product.
Sodium + Bromine →
Sodium Bromide
Why do we sample - for example using a quadrat?
To estimate numbers and type of plant in an area or to see how common or rare certain plants are.
State what is meant by an abiotic factor.
Abiotic factors are physical factors which affect the distribution of organisms
State one abiotic factor.
- temperature,
- pH,
- light intensity,
- moisture.
State what is meant by a biotic factor.
A biotic factor are ‘living’ factors which can affect the distribution of organisms.
State one biotic factor.
- predators,
- prey,
- disease.
