Air & atmosphere

Percentage

Nitrogen
Oxygen
Cabon dioxide
Argon
Other

 Composition of air
o Nitrogen: 79%
o Oxygen 20%
o Noble gases: 1% (mainly argon: 0.9%)
 Atmospheric pollutants
o Carbon monoxide and dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, ground level ozone, sulfur
dioxide, unburnt hydrocarbons
 Carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion of carbon-containing substances

 Methane from the bacterial decomposition of vegetable matter

 Nitrogen oxides from internal combustion engines and lightening
 Sulfur dioxide from volcanoes and combustion of fossil fuels
o Solutions
 Catalytic converters in cars to remove nitrogen oxides, unburnt hydrocarbons
and carbon monoxide
 Contains platinum and rhodium as catalyst
 Harmless substances are produced
o Nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, water vapour
o
 Flue gas desulphurisation
 Calcium carbonate/oxide reacts with sulfur dioxide to from calcium
sulphite (later to calcium sulphate) and carbon dioxide
 Effects of pollutants
o Carbon monoxide
 It is a poisonous gas that reacts with haemoglobin in the blood.
 Reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood

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  Causes headaches, fatigue and death
o Acid rain
 Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide cause acid rain when reacting with moisture
in the air
 Sulphur dioxide forms sulphurous acid which oxidises to give sulfuric acid
 Nitrogen oxides forms nitric acid
 Cause damage to building, harm marine life, eye and lung irritation
o Ozone damage
 The ozone blocks out harmful ultraviolet radiation
 CFC destroys the ozone, by emitting chlorine atoms under UV light, which reacts
with the ozone, depleting it
 This causes UV rays to reach the Earth, leading to skin cancer, genetic mutations
and eye damage
o Global warming
 Caused by greenhouse gases: carbon monoxide, methane etc.
 Source of CO and methane see above
 They trap heat causing global warming
 Leads to polar ice cap melting
o Floods
 Droughts
o Crop failure
 Famine
 Carbon cycle
o It is the maintenance of the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
o Through combustion, respiration and photosynthesis
 Respiration releases carbon dioxide
 Combustion releases carbon dioxide
 Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide

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