Planet Earth his chapter covers: the composition and uses of the gasesin the air the sources o air pollution; particularly carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (S0,) and the oxides of nitrogen (NO) jouse gases’ and climate change treatment lores and limestone fuels and the problems they cause.TIP ) Hyou are asked fora use of oxygen, ‘breathing’ is not considered to bea correct answer because itis air rather than oxygen that we breathe, You need to give a use of pure oxygen, Pollution of the air Many gases are accidentally or deliberately released into the air. Some are harmless but Many create problems for the environment. The main source of ‘problem’ gases is the burning of fossil fuels. Most countries produce electricity by burning coal or oil. Both these fuels are contaminated with sulfur. When these fuels are burnt in power stations to generate | energy, the sulfur content reacts with oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide: sulfur + oxygen — sulfur dioxide | Sit 0,) SPs | Oxides of nitrogen (NO,) (for example, nitrogen dioxide, NO.) are also produced when air is heated in furnaces. These gases dissolve in rainwater to produce ‘acid rain’ (Figure C1,02).sulfur diode, toga ase chemical reacionsinthe airand inthe clouds nitrogen oxides, hnydrgcarbons fects on trees and buildings Figure C1.02 The formation of acid rain.Image C1.03 Fumes from a car exhaust. The wind can carry acid rain clouds away from the industrialised areas, causing the pollution to fall on other countries. One way to remedy the effects of acid rain is to add lime to lakes and the surrounding land to decrease the acidity. The best solution, however, is to prevent the acidic gases from being released in the first place. ‘Scrubbers’ are fitted to power station furnaces. In these devices, the acidic gases are passed through an alkaline substance such as lime (calcium oxide). This removes the acids, making the escaping gases much less harmful. In many countries acidic gases from power stations are still a serious problem. Petrol (gasoline) and diesel for use in road transport have most of their sulfur removed when they are refined, producing low sulfur fuels. Sulfur dioxide is not a serious problem with motor vehicles but the other contents of vehicle exhaust fumes (Image C1.03) can cause problems. Nitrogen dioxide, for example, is still produced. The high temperature inside the engine's cylinders causes the nitrogen and oxygen in the air to react together: nitrogen + oxygen > nitrogen dioxide Neo Fe 20, 2NO,problem in diesel-powered car. ‘ erature is significantly highe, the operating temp’ i ; ae of the lack of oxygen in the enclosed Space an engine, the fuel does not usually burn completely and carbon monoxide (CO) is formed. This toxic gas is formed from the incomplete combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel. This is a particular The dangers of these pollutants are as follows. + Nitrogen dioxide causes acid rain and can combine with other gases in very hot weather to cause photochemical smog. This contains low-level ozone andis likely to cause breathing problems, especially in people with asthma. Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic gas. It combines with the haemoglobin in blood and stops it from carrying oxygen. Even very small amounts of carbon monoxide can cause dizziness and headaches. Larger quantities cause death, There are solutions to some of these problems. Catalytic converters can be attached to the exhaust systems of cars (Figure C1.03). These convert carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide into carbon dioxide and nitrogen. In a car fitted with a catalytic converter, the exhaust gases are passed through a heated ‘honeycombed’ bed of the transition metal catalyst and the Potential pollutants take part in several different reactions, converting them to carbon dioxide and nitrogen, 20 + 0, + 20, 2NO + 20> y, + 2CO, 2NO “Sees +Oand nit -arbon dioxide exhaust gases water and nitogen catalytic converter Figure C1.03 A catalytic converter changes harmful exhaust gases into safer gases.4 figure C.08 Asummary of various atmospheric pollution roblems caused by human activity. problems lear and distinct in your mind rather than letting them merge together into one (confused?) ‘problem. They each have distinct causes and | Ty tohep hese diferent atmospheric potion | |. Searconsequences. Figure C.04 summarises the effets ofthe main pollutants othe Global warming and the ‘greenhouse effect’ There are two gases in Figure C1.04, carbon dioxide nd methane, which are not in thelist of pollutants ven sofar. These gases, together with water vapour and oxides of nitrogen, are causing global warming veto the greenhouse effect’ The Earth is warmed by theSun butthis heat would quickly escape if it were "otfor our atmosphere. itis always colder ona Clear night because there are no clouds to keep the beatin. Some gases are better at keeping heat in than others; ifthere is too much of these gases in the atmosphere, the Earth gets warmer and this causes Problems (Figure C1.05) Figure C1.05 The greenhouse effect. The raised josphere g ise to additional ncluding elimate change. els of gree since the industrial Revolution is giv problems in the Some of the prob + Glaciers a th will ner Deserts wil spre less water, ions of people will + Severe weather events will increase in frequency, and hurricanes and flooding will become more common. + Inssome areas it may become easier to grow food crops but in others it will certainly become Carbon dioxide and methane are the two main problem ‘gases; methane is around 20 times more effective at stopping heat escaping than carbon dioxide i. Carbon dioxide enters the air through respiratioy and burning and itis removed by plants durin photoythests Bring more ean eating own the forests increase the problem. Burning less fossi fuel and planting more trees would help to solve it.nic Methane is a product of the anaerobic: decay sete matter ands prodvcedin age quantities in ey eit fields and iandfil rubbish sites, tis also pris ci digestive systems of animals, anging from cat C1.02 Water treatment Hater is essential to if butit can also cary disease q polluted water kil many milios of people every year. ttis important that the water we drinks treated to (roe itsafe, and even more important that sewage {human and animal waste) is treated before beng slowed back into rivers used for drinking water sereens orsaining floating rabbish drinking water service reservoir Figure C1.06 Purifying water for the domestic and industrial supply. storage reservoir tweated witha smal ‘amountofozoneto sinfect the woter tine small amount of chlorine sused todsinect water Water from rivers and lakes, and from Underaro, can contain dissolved salts, solid particles and bat The water purification process is designeq Fema the last two of these. Atits simplest, water eaten investing the water to remove opt and adding chlorine to kill any bacteria thar, Coulg cause disease. Figure CLO6 shows a modern water teatreny process The main dference from the Simple eatngy inthe use of ozone to remove pesticides and som, hag dissed substances wich cn cause eat pe The wateris stil nat totally pure asit contains som dissolved solids. Some of these, such as calcium can aid health, whereas others, such as nitrate fe can be harmful. Salts, tls, In some pats of the world, seawater is made drinkable by desalination (taking the salt out). This can be dons by distillation or by forcing the water through specia, membranes using high pressures (reverse osmosis) Desalination is particularly important in countri les such s ‘Saudi Arabia. Our water supply is very important. Not only sit usedin the home, as shown in Figure C1.07, but tis also usedin large quantities by industry. Most ofthe water used by industry is utilised as a solvent for other substances, to Cool down reactions or to transfer heat from one part ofa factory to another, reciptators tocar sold particles Imicrostrainers ben themaindose of ozoneto Some ofthe break down chemicals pasties nd other materiaoe te sigue C107 The main uses of water in se numbers show how much wateris perperson for each activity every day, UK home, Used on average 09 Why swaterfitered before other treatments? (1.10. Whyis chlorine added to water C11 Whyis distillation of seawater an expensive way of making drinking water fennieedq cl, . Limestone a aa The Earth’s crust Limestoneis an important s@80UFOM which Cre the tp layer of the Earths used to obtain the range of compounds can be made. Figure Cog remicals we need. This layer is known as the Earth's CTUSt some of the important uses of limestone and thea. | and its thickness varies from about 5 km to aboutSOk™. —_cempounds quicklime and slaked lime. The reactions From this thin layer we get the soil we need for growing, involved in producing these compounds can be ita ops the ores from which metals areentraced therocks the abortory igure C10 ly We need for building, and the fossil fuels we use. piece of calcium carbonate can be heated strong, Metal ores are rocks that have arelatively high concentration ‘of a mineral containing a metal. For more details oforesand The piece ofimeis Segre time to produce lime (quicklime, calcium gx, allowed to cool and then a few qr obtaining metals from th hi 15 C9. water are added. The solid flakes and expands, cmp Re ee eee ae into ‘slaked lime. This reaction is strongly exothermie | focks can be used for building and for the extraction of more waters added, an alain slution (menage, Useful chemicals other than metals. The most useful of these is limestone, is obtained. heatwinsand ad Sedum carson steel imeston removes Inpurlesia mace poe Sand coment me pee mi vec Blown san Figure C1.08 Some of the uses of limestone (calcium carbonate). Vet haper ae limestone ee l Limestone changesinio quchime (alum onde ure C1.09 The formation of quicklime and slaked lime in the laboratory. _ ‘quickiegalore is emicals derived from tan bef ee "stone and the ndin Chapter, ime industrial c1i2_Whatmekes an ore diferent fom anyother type of rock? 1 thattheairis composed predominantly ofritrogen and ‘oygen, but that other gases have majorrolesto play too. 1 about the major atmospheric pollution problems that "are changing the nature of our world, including global climate change and acid rain ‘that global warming is caused by an increase in the atmosphere of certain ‘greenhouse gases’ such as t= dioxide and methane The Earth's resources = uel are only one ofthe art's important resources NY are 2 ‘non-renewable’ resource. When we have sree UPallof the fossi fuels, they are gone. Metal ores are <0 non-enewable' and soitimportan that we ecycle {hemetals we usein order to conserve the limited supplies of metal ores in the Earths crust Mote deta aboutrecying metals canbe fourdin Chapter 9 Other resources should last forever but, we misuse them, roblems arise, Clean aican be lostif we pollute it, as can fresh water. Even the energy from the Sun and the energy Inthe wind and waves can be adversely affected by the Pollution causing the ‘greenhouse effect’ ‘C113 _Whatis the difference between ime and sloked lime? CL.14 What makesa gas greenhouse gas’? '= how the availabilty of clean fresh water is one ofthe 'majorproblemsin the world 1 thatlimestone, one ofthese mineral resources, hhasarange of uses, from the making of cement and concrete to the extraction ofiron inthe blast furnace, End-of-chapter questions @ i Copyand complete the chart by label unpoluted ait. Name one ofthe other gases that existsin unpoll rirogen 56 1 Thebarchart shows the approximate composition of clean ait. Perentagein reat vnpaled ai 1 8 ing the percentages of nitrogen, onygen and other gases. a ry (continued) C1: Planet Earth1D Nitrogen and oxygen exist inthe arin the form of the diatomic the at molecules, N, and O,. When lightning passes thous the gaseous compounds nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen iovde+ NO,,are formed. 1. Writea balanced chemical equation forth Ti. Nitrogen dioxide (NO, dissolves and reacts with rainwater. A student carried out an ‘experiment to investigate what happened tO the acidity of rainwater during a thunderstorm. His results are shown inthe table. What conclusions can the student make from these result ‘any new compound formed during the storm. 2. Wateris presentin the atmosphere, inthe seas and in ice and snow. Describe a chemical test for water. Give the test and the result State one use of water in industry. Waters a good solvent. What do you understa |Water vapour in the atmosphere reacts with sulfur 1 State one source of sulfur dioxide. State two adverse effects of acid rain. Calculate the relative molecular mass of sulfur dioxide. fe Water from lakes and rivers can be treated to make the Describe two of the stepsin water purification. For each f Wateris formed when hydrogen bums n air. State aoce ICombridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 Paper 21 03 0-€8 ff) June 2 3 The atmosphere of a newly discovered Earth-like planet had been analysed. Ithas the composition shown in the table. ‘a Howdoes the quantity ofthe first three gases differ from that on Earth? aang center the Earth’s atmosphere? .e formation of nitric oxide IN pure water obtained in 20 when no stormhad occurred rainwater collected rainwater collecte s?include the name of the percentage of onyge ed in laboratory during thunderstorm ad by the term solvent? dioxide, SO,, to produce acid rain. 1e water safer to drink. of these steps, give an explanation of ts purpose. n presentin the ait. ooget | carbon dioxide 15 water verour D What problems could be caused on the surface ofthe planet by the presence ofthe final two gases listed? Give atest to show the presence of water in the condensation from the air on a window on a cold day. Which pollutant gas inthe atmosphere has the same effect onthe climate as carbon dioxide? sulfur dioxide isnot present in pure airon Earth, What process can cause sulfur dioxide to Lime can be used to remove sulfur dioxide from gases entering the atmosphere What name is given to the process which removes the sulfur dioxide? How is ime manufactured from limestone? Write a word equation for the reaction. | | : ry i