Vocabulary 1. Atmosphere - the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet. 2.

Methane - Methane, CH4, is a chemical compound composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. 3. Ammonia - Ammonia is a chemical compound that consists of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms tightly bonded, which gives it the chemical symbol NH3. 4. Chemical reaction - a process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance, as opposed to a change in physical form or a nuclear reaction. 5. Solar energy radiant energy emitted by the sun. 6. Carbon dioxide a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. 7. Hydrogen - Hydrogen is a highly flammable chemical element that occurs in great abundance throughout the universe. 8. Gravity - Gravity is a force pulling together all matter. The more matter, the more gravity, so things that have a lot of matter such as planets and moons and stars pull more strongly. 9. Oxygen - Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gaseous chemical element which appears in great abundance on Earth, trapped by the atmosphere. 10. Ozone - Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) and lower atmosphere (the troposphere). 11. Ultraviolet radiation - Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is defined as that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between x rays and visible light, i.e., between 40 and 400 nm (303 eV). 12. Microorganism - A microorganism is a living being that is too small to be seen by the naked eye. They require microscopes to be observed, thus giving them the name 'microscopic'. 13. Bacteria - Bacteria are microorganisms too small to see with the naked eye that exists in virtually all environments in the world. 14. Photosynthesis - the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. 15. Composition - the nature of something's ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up.

1. What chemical process would you identify as being responsible for the disappearance of methane and ammonia and the presence of nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen in the Earths atmosphere? Explain. -> The chemical process that could be identified for the disappearance of methane and ammonia and the presence of nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is evaporation. 2. Could animals have lived on ancient Earth before green plants? Explain. -> No, the animals could not have lived on ancient Earth before green plants because animals need Oxygen to survive, if there is no plant, then there will be no oxygen because of the photosynthesis. 3. Scientists are concerned that certain chemicals when released into the atmosphere cause the level of ozone to decrease. Predict what might happen to living things on Earth are the ozone layer continues to decrease. -> I predict that as the ozone layer decrease, the life in the Earth would also become extinction.