Section 16 - Fuels and Earth Science Flashcards
Fuels - Name two applications of hydrocarbons
1) Fuels
2) Lubricants
Fuels - How is crude oil formed?
Crude oil is formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms, such as plants, algae and bacteria
Fuels - What is the purpose of fractional distillation?
Oil refining and purification
Fuels - What is fuel oil used for?
- Steam boilers in power plants
- On ships
- In industrial plants
Fuels - What is the definition of a homologous series?
Homologous series = a family of hydrocarbons with similar chemical properties who share the same general formula
Fuels - Explain why long hydrocarbons have a higher boiling point
Longer hydrocarbons have stronger intermolecular forces and more energy is required to break these forces so they have higher boiling points
Fuels - Give the word equation for the complete combustion of hydrocarbons
Fuel + O2 —> CO2 + H2O
Fuels - Why does incomplete combustion occur?
Incomplete combustion generally occurs due to poor mixing of the air and fuel and insufficient temperature
Fuels - Name a gas that contributes to the production of acid rain
- Sulfur dioxide
- Nitrogen oxides
Fuels - What is cracking?
Cracking = a reaction in which larger hydrocarbon chains are broken down into smaller, more useful hydrocarbon molecules
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - Name the gases given out by volcanoes millions of years ago
- Water vapour
- Nitrogen
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - How was nitrogen gas originally put into the atmosphere?
It was initially trapped in the rubble that collided, forming the Earth
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - What change in the early atmosphere allowed the complex organisms to evolve?
Photosynthesis that built up in the atmosphere led to oxygen that enabled animals and other organisms to evolve
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - How could you test an unknown gas to see if it was oxygen?
If a glowing splint relights in the presence of the gas
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - Outline how the greenhouse effect works
When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and some is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - How has human activity led to an increase in the concentration of methane in the atmosphere?
- Raising livestock
- Coal mining
- Waste disposal in landfills
- Gas and oil production
The Atmosphere and Climate Change - What method have scientists used to predict past climates?
Record from physical, chemical and biological materials preserved within the Earth
