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The atmosphere is a layer of air containing mixture of several gases. This mixture composition varies
Genes and Inheritance according to time and place.
Homeostasis The composition of water vapour varies from 0-5%, depending on the humidity of air.
Human eye
Human Nutrition Fractional distillation to separate components of air
Human Reproduction
Human Transport
Nutrients Air is the main source of oxygen, nitrogen, and noble gases.
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
Nutrients Air is the main source of oxygen, nitrogen, and noble gases.
Plant nutrition These are separated by first liquefying the air and then separating the components of liquid air by
Plant Reproduction fractional distillation.
Respiration
Transport in Plants 1. air is filtered to remove dust
Chemistry 2. any carbon dioxide or water vapour in the air must be removed, otherwise when air is cooled, they
Acids, Bases and Salts would solidify and block up the pipes.
Air, Oxygen, 3. Carbon dioxide gas is removed by bubbling the air through an alkali like sodium hydroxide.
Atmospheric 1. 2NaOH + CO2 --> Na2CO3 + H2O
Pollutants
4. Water is removed in a drying tower with a drying agent such as silica gel.
Bonding and Structure
Electrolysis/Electroc… 5. The air is then compressed to about 200 atmospheric pressure. On compression, a gas becomes
Elements, Compounds hotter. The compressed air is then suddenly allowed to expand through a fine nozzle and it becomes
and M ixtures colder. This cold air is returned to the compressor, and on its way, it helps to cool more incoming air.
Kinetic Particle This process of compression and expansion is continued until the temperature drops to -200oC (73K).
Theory, Gas Law
At this temperature, all the gases except neon and helium would have been liquefied.
M easurements
6. The liquid air is pale blue because of the presence of liquid oxygen. It is passed into a fractionating
M etals
tower, where it is slowly warmed up. This first gas to boil off is nitrogen (-196oC).
M ethods of
Purification 7. When all the nitrogen has been given off, the temperature rises to -186oC and argon gas is boiled off.
Organic Chemistry 8. Oxygen is next, at -183oC. The gases are boiled off separately and are collected and stored under
Qualitative Analysis pressure in cylinders.
Rate of Reactions
Redox Reactions
Stoichiometry
Percentage Composition of Oxygen in Air
The Periodic Table of
Elements
A known volume of air is passed through tube with burning copper powder and oxygen in air will react
Elementary Math
Questions Unclassified with hot copper powder to produce black copper oxide:
Similarity/Congruency 2Cu(s) + O2(g) --> 2CuO(s)
& Ratios of length,
area & volume If oxygen is depleted, the readings on both syringes will be steady and the reaction has completed.
English Hence, to find the volume of oxygen in air collected in syringe:
Composition writing Volume of O2 = Initial volume of air – Final volume of air
Functional Writing For instance, the initial volume of air in one syringe is 80cm3 and the final volume is 64cm3. Hence,
Grammar the percentage volume of O2 in air is:
Useful vocab for
composition writing
Words!!!
Writing Skills
Physics
All Physics Formula
and Glossary
Electricity
Oxygen
Electrostatics
Forces, Vectors, Work,
Energy, Power A. Respiration
Heat and Temperature
Heat Capacities
Oxygen is essential for all plant and animal life on earth. The process by which living organisms produce
Heat transfer
energy from their food is called respiration. Oxygen is essential for this process:
Kinematics: Speed,
Velocity, and
Acceleration sugar + oxygen ---> carbon dioxide + water + energy
Kinetic Theory of
M atter When we breathe in, we take air into our lungs.
Light oxygen from the air dissolves in the blood in our lungs
M agnetism & the dissolved oxygen is then taken to the cells in all parts of our body
Electromagnetism oxygen reacts with sugars in the cells to produce energy
M easurements of
Length, M ass, B. Combustion/Burning
Density, and Time
M elting, Boiling and
Evaporation 3 things are required for combustion
Pressure
1. fuel
Radioactivity
2. heat
Turning Effects of
Forces / M oments 3. oxygen
Wave and Sound
MOST substances react with O2 to in exothermic reaction, which is called combustion. If flames are
S ocial S tudies & History
produced during combustion, it’s called burning.
S itemap
ALL carbon compounds burn in O2 to produce CO2 while ALL hydrogen containing compounds burn in
Stressed from Studying?
O2 to produce H2O.
Check out Freakstimes Blog When adequate supply of oxygen is available during burning, it will create a complete combustion. If
for many spoof news, otherwise, the combustion is incomplete.
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
for many spoof news, otherwise, the combustion is incomplete.
satires, and jokes! E.g. CH4(g) + 2O2(g) --> CO2(g) + 2H2O(g), makes up a complete combustion
When air hole is closed, air cannot enter supplying oxygen, and hence soot (unburnt carbon) and CO
is produced from incomplete hydrocarbon gas combustion.
As a result, flame is yellow due to glowing specks of hot soot in heat and the flame is not hot.
When air hole is opened, air supplies plenty of oxygen, allowing complete combustion.
Uses of Oxugen
As rocket fuel
In steel making, to burn off impurities
In oxy-acetyline cutting and welding
In oxygen tanks for deep sea divers and mountain climbers to provide oxygen
For respiration for most animals
Used as oxygen tents in hospital to aid patients with respiratory problems
Oxygen is a reactive gas and will combine directly with most metals and non-metals to form oxides
Most metals, except silver and gold, combine directly with oxygen to form metal oxides.
Most metal oxides are basic oxides
those that dissolve in water form alkalis
eg sodium + oxygen --> sodium oxide
non-metals like carbon, sulphur and phosphorus burn in oxygen to form acidic oxides
eg carbon + oxygen --> carbon dioxide
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many elements burn in oxygen with colored flames to produce the corresponding oxide.
Across the periodic table, the properties of the oxides of these elements change from basic to acidic in
nature (metals to non-metals)
Metal oxides
Element Reaction Product Equation pH in solution
copper just glows red hot, and copper(II) 2Cu + O2 --> 2CuO insoluble
when cooled is covered with oxide
a black coating of the oxide
Non-metal oxides
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
Non-metal oxides
Element Reaction Product Equation pH in solution
Such oxides are mainly gases or liquids but giant covalent oxides like silicon dioxide are solids
Aluminium oxide is both basic and covalent and is therefore an amphoteric oxide.
1) carbon monoxide, CO
Comes from:
- When fuels like petrol and diesel are burnt in an internal combustion engine, the amount of oxygen present
Hazards:
- Combines with haemoglobin when inhaled, which produces carboxyhaemoglobin that reduces efficiency of
haemoglobin to transport oxygen.
- Cells then die.
Prevention:
- Install catalytic converters in cars
- Reduce number of cars on road
- Create efficient engines in cars to ensure complete hydrocarbon combustion
Comes from:
- Combustion of fossil fuels containing sulphur impurities
- volcanic eruptions
Hazards:
- Lung irritant
- eye irritant
- acid rain
Prevention:
- Prevent using fuels containing sulphur impurities, e.g. coal
- Reduce the sulphur impurities inside fossil fuels
- Spray exhaust gases from factories with water/hydrated CaO/alkalis to absorb sulphur dioxide before it’s
released into the atmosphere
- Add CaO to soil and rivers to neutralize acid rain
3) oxides of nitrogen, NO
Comes from:
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
- Lightning activity
- forest fires
- internal combustion engines (as nitrogen oxides are formed by oxygen and nitrogen under high temperature)
--> Poisonous oxides of nitrogen are also formed from the electrical spark which passes through the
air/petrol mixture.
- power stations
Hazards:
- Eutrophication
- lung damage
- acid rain
Prevention:
- Install catalytic converters in cars
- Design car engines which run at lower temperatures
The oxides of sulphur and nitrogen are acidic gases and are water-soluble. They dissolve to form acid rain.
The main source of these pollutant gases is from the burning of fuels, especially those in petrol and diesel
engines.
All oils and fuels contain sulphur, and when they are burnt, sulphur dioxide gas is formed. In power
stations, large quantities of this gas are produced, which dissolve in water in the atmosphere to form
sulphurous acid (sulphuric acid)
4) Methane
Comes from:
- Decomposition of vegetable matter
- rice field
- cattle ranching
- natural gas
- mines
Hazards:
- highly flammable
- greenhouse gas
Prevention:
- Cattle and other ruminant animals should be given improved diet
- Animal manure and rotting vegetation can be used as biomass fuel
5) Unburnt hydrocarbons
Comes from:
- Internal combustion engines
- Because of the limited supply of air inside the engines some of it remains unburnt and escapes as gaseous
hydrocarbons.
Hazards:
- Carcinogenic
- forms photochemical smog
- can act as greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.
Prevention:
- Install catalytic converters in cars
- Reduce number of cars on road
- Create efficient engines in cars to ensure complete hydrocarbon combustion
6) Ozone
Comes from:
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
Comes from:
- It is formed when an electrical spark passes through air. This is because it reacts with the UV radiation in
sunlight to produce a 'photochemical smog'.
- It is an allotrope (two/three different forms of a pure element) of oxygen having structural formula O3 having
characteristic odour.
- High up in the atmosphere ozone is beneficial as it helps to filter out high levels of UV radiation
Hazards
- It reacts with unburnt hydrocarbons to form photochemical smog that causes headache, eye, nose and
throat irritation.
- It corrodes and kills plants and trees
Prevention
- Don’t use CFCs/replace it with HCFCs which destroys faster.
- One way to reduce pollution from cars is to fit catalytic converters to our exhausts.
- Inside the converter is a special metal-like platinum which acts as a catalyst.
- It converts the poisonous exhaust gases of CO and oxides of nitrogen into harmless gases like carbon
dioxide and nitrogen.
- It does this by transferring oxygen atoms from the oxides of nitrogen to the CO.
- The larger, heavier dust particles will settle quickly but the smaller particles may remain suspended in the
air for a long time.
Comes from:
- building work
- mining activities
- forest fires
- incomplete combustion of fuels.
Hazards:
- irritate lungs, causing bronchitis and other lung-related diseases.
8) Lead compounds
Comes from:
- Combustion of leaded petrol in car engines
- lead compounds are added to petrol to make it heavier so that it does not ignite too soon.
Hazards:
- when breathed in can build up inside the body and are toxic and poisonous
- Causes lead poisoning which leads to brain damage.
Carbon Cycle
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
- Carbon dioxide is produced mainly by respiration. Here, sugars such as glucose are converted into carbon
dioxide and water, giving out energy (exothermic)
- Carbon dioxide is also produced by combustion of fuels, in factories, and in the home
- The carbon dioxide is then absorbed by plants, by photosynthesis. Energy is absorbed (endothermic) from
the sun, and used to build up simple sugars.
Photosynthesis equation:
- Animals eat plants, and in turn, they themselves get eaten by other animals. So the carbon originally in the
atmosphere ends up in every living plant and animal. Upon death, the carbon is released by bacteries and
fungi, to return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
MCQ Questions
1. Which atmospheric pollutants, emitted by internal combustion engines, are reacted together to convert
them to less harmful products?
a. carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide
b. carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons
c. nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide
sulfur dioxide and unburned hydrocarbons
2. The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased in the last 200 years. What could be
causing this increase?
1 emissions from motor vehicles
2 photosynthesis
3 power stations using coal and oil
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3
4. Which gas is not produced when hydrocarbons are burnt in the internal combustion engine
a. carbon dioxide
b. carbon monoxide
c. hydrogen
d. nitrogen oxides
MCQ Answers
1. a
2. b
3. d
4. c
1. The exhaust gases of a motor car contain several pollutants, among them carbon monoxide and
oxides of nitrogen. The flowchart below shows the arrangement of a two-stage catalytic converter
in a motor car engine and exhaust system.
In the second converter, nitrogen oxides decompose into nitrogen and oxygen.
aii. Give the name of the gas that is produced in the first converter. Write an equation to show its
production.
b. Two oxides of nitrogen are nitrogen dioxide, NO2, and nitrogen monoxide, NO.
cii. Suggest why the catalysts in the first and second converters are different.
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
Solution
1aiii. Carbon monoxide, when breathed in, prevents blood from transporting oxygen. This is because CO can
become strongly bonded to haemoglobin (present in red blood cells) and thus prevents the haemoglobin from
transporting oxygen. The victim may die after some time due to lack of oxygen.
1bii. They are acidic and cause acid rains, thereby corroding buildings and killing plants.
1ci. A catalyst is a substance that changes the rate of a reaction and itself remains chemically unchanged at
the end of the reaction.
1cii. Because different catalysts catalyse different reactions. The catalyst that catalyses the production of
CO2 from CO may not catalyse the decomposition of oxides of nitrogen and vice versa.
2a. Pure oxygen is obtained from air and is used as an aid to breathing in hospital oxygen masks.
ii. give a commercial use for oxygen other than as an aid to breathing
b. One problem with oxygen is that it is the essential element in causing corrosion of metals. One
method of limiting corrosion is known as 'sacrificial protection'. Explain what is meant by sacrificial
protection.
Solution
2ai. By fractional distillation of liquid air. Fractional distillation is a method used to separate liquids based on
the difference in their boiling points.
2b. A metal more reactive than the metal to be protected is connected to the metal to be protected. This
more reactive metal corrodes in preference to the protected metal. This is called sacrificial protection.
Solution
Solution
4a. The ozone layer acts as a barrier that absorbs harmful UV rays from the sun, preventing it from reaching
earth.
4b. chlorofluorocarbons
5. Coal-burning power stations produce sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. These two gases
cause acid rain.
a. Nitric oxide, NO, is made in a power station when nitrogen and oxygen react together. Write the
equation for this reaction.
b. Many coal-burning power stations are now fitted with a flue gas desulphurisation plant which
removes sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from the gaseous emissions. In a flue gas
desulphurisation plant, powdered calcium carbonate reacts with sulphur dioxide as shown.
ii. calculate the mass of calcium carbonate needed to react with 8000 kg of sulphur dioxide
iii. nitrogen dioxide also reacts with calcium carbonate. suggest the name of the solid product of
this reaction.
c. In the air sulphur dioxide reacts with nitrogen dioxide forming sulphur trioxide. The reactions
that take place are shown in the equation
Suggest the role of nitrogen dioxide in these reactions. Explain your answer.
d. Sulphur dioxide is used in the Contact Process to make sulphuric acid. Describe the conditions
and name the catalyst in the Contact Process.
Solution
5bi. To increase the surface area in order to absorb more SO2 gas
5bii.
Mr of SO2 = 64
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6/9/12 Air, Oxygen, Atmospheric Pollutants - GCE Study Buddy - The Best O Level revision resource
5biii. calcium nitrate
As a catalyst because NO2 is reformed at the end of reaction 2 and therefore, the original role of NO2 in
reaction 1 has not been used up at the end of the reaction.
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