What is air?

Air is nothing but a mixture of a variety of gasses. The air in the atmosphere consists of nitrogen, oxygen,
which is the life-sustaining substance for animals and humans, carbon dioxide, water vapour and small
amounts of other elements (argon, neon, etc.). Higher in the atmosphere air also contains ozone, helium and
hydrogen. People can only clearly notice the prescence of air when the wind blows.

What does air consist of?

The air we breathe consists mostly of the following gases:

Nitrogen (N2) 78%

Oxygen (O2) 20%
Noble gasses 1%
Carbon dioxide (CO2) 0,03%
Water vapor (H2O) 0,97%

The amount of water in the air greatly varies. When large amounts of water are present in the air other
elements are present in lower amounts. The amount of water in the air can rise up to 4%. The lowest
percentage of water in the air is 0,5%. Water presses present gases closer together, so that it can take up
enough space.
When the amount of water in the air is very low, air is called 'dry'. The weight of 22,4 dm3 of dry air is
28,96 grams. When the air contains sufficient amounts of water it is called humid. Humid air is lighter (less
dense) than dry air.

Apart from the elements that have been summed up earlier, other elements are also present in air. However,
the percentages of these elements are very low. Aerosols can be found in air. These are dust particles that
are blown off the earth's surface by wind, or emitted during volcanic activity. When burning processes take
place, ashes and grime particles also end up in the air.

The composition of air varies greatly with height. Over ninety kilometres above the earths' surface oxygen
molecules fall apart and only oxygen atoms are left. Over one hundred kilometres above the earths' surface,
nitrogen molecules also decompose. At this height the air does not have the composition we know. The
atmosphere is completely different there.

GAS CONCENTRATION GAS CONCENTRATION GAS CONCENTRAT

(% VOL) (PPM VOL.) (PPB VOL.)

NITROGEN 78.09 CARBON 330 HYDROGEN 500

DIOXIDE
OXYGEN 20.94 NEON 18 XENON 86
ARGON 0.93 HELIUM 5.2 RADON 6.10-11
KRYPTON 1.1
Physical Properties for Air

• Molecular weight : 28.95 g/mol

Solid phase

• Melting point (incipient freezing point) : -213.4 °C

Liquid phase

• Liquid density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 875 kg/m3

• Boiling point (incipient boiling point) : -194.5 °C
• Latent heat of vaporization (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 198.7 kJ/kg

Critical point

• Critical temperature : -140.5 °C

• Critical pressure : 37.71 bar

Gaseous phase

• Gas density (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 3.2 kg/m3

• Gas density (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 1.202 kg/m3
• Compressibility Factor (Z) (1.013 bar and 15 °C (59 °F)) : 0.9992
• Specific gravity (air = 1) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 1
• Specific volume (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 0.833 m3/kg
• Heat capacity at constant pressure (Cp) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 0.029
kJ/(mol.K)
• Heat capacity at constant volume (Cv) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 0.02
kJ/(mol.K)
• Ratio of specific heats (Gamma:Cp/Cv) (1.013 bar and 21 °C (70 °F)) : 1.4028
• Viscosity (1 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 0.0001695 Poise
• Thermal conductivity (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 23.94 mW/(m.K)

Miscellaneous

• Solubility in water (1.013 bar and 0 °C (32 °F)) : 0.0292 vol/vol