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Air quality and climate
Identify the makeup of clean, dry air, which consists of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and a small amount of noble gases and carbon dioxide.
9
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90
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63
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90 min
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CambridgeIGCSEChemistryChemistry of the environment
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Air quality and climate outcomes9 objectives
- Identify the makeup of clean, dry air, which consists of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and a small amount of noble gases and carbon dioxide.
- Identify the origins of various air pollutants, including: (a) carbon dioxide from burning carbon-based fuels, (b) carbon monoxide and particulates from incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels, (c) methane from decaying vegetation and animal digestion, (d) nitrogen oxides from vehicle engines, and (e) sulfur dioxide from burning fossil fuels containing sulfur.
- Identify the negative impacts of specific air pollutants, including: (a) carbon dioxide contributing to global warming and climate change, (b) carbon monoxide being a toxic gas, (c) particulates increasing respiratory issues and cancer risk, (d) methane also contributing to global warming and climate change, (e) nitrogen oxides causing acid rain, photochemical smog, and respiratory problems, and (f) sulfur dioxide leading to acid rain.
- Identify and explain methods to mitigate environmental issues, including: (a) for climate change: planting trees, reducing livestock farming, decreasing fossil fuel use, and increasing hydrogen and renewable energy sources like wind and solar, (b) for acid rain: using catalytic converters in vehicles, lowering sulfur dioxide emissions by using low-sulfur fuels, and flue gas desulfurization with calcium oxide.
- Explain photosynthesis as the process where carbon dioxide and water react to form glucose and oxygen, facilitated by chlorophyll and energy from light.
- Provide the word equation for photosynthesis, which is carbon dioxide plus water yielding glucose plus oxygen.
- Describe how greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane contribute to global warming by absorbing, reflecting, and emitting thermal energy, which reduces thermal energy loss to space.
- Explain the formation of nitrogen oxides in car engines and describe their removal through catalytic converters, exemplified by the reaction of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
- Provide the symbol equation for photosynthesis, which is 6 carbon dioxide plus 6 water yielding 1 glucose and 6 oxygen.
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