The Chemistry of

the Environment
The Chemistry of the Atmosphere
 The layers of the atmosphere are mainly due to temperature
variations as the altitude increases. The four layers according to the
variation of temperature are.
 Ionosphere (Aurora) or Thermosphere
 Mesosphere
 Stratosphere
 Troposphere
The Chemistry of the Atmosphere
The Chemistry of the Atmosphere
 Above 100 km is the thermosphere and ionosphere where the temperature
increases from 200 K at 100 km to 500 K at 300 km. The temperature goes
even higher as the altitude increases. activity as the altitude decrease. In the
outer space, most particles consist of single atoms, H, He, and O etc. At lower
altitude (200 - 100 km), diatomic molecules N2, O2, NO etc. are present. The
ionosphere is full of electrically charged ions.
 Beyond the neutral thermosphere is the ionosphere and exosphere. These
layers are of course interesting for space explorations and environmental
concerns and space sciences. The atmosphere in the outer space is more like
a plasma than a gas. Below the thermosphere is the mesosphere (100 - 50
km) in which the temperature decreases as the altitude increase. In this
region, OH, H, NO, HO2, O2, and O3 are common.
The Chemistry of the Atmosphere
 Below the mesosphere is the stratosphere, in which the temperature
increases as the altitude increase from 10 km to 50 km.
 Air flow is horizontal in the stratosphere. A thin ozone layer in the
upper stratosphere has a high concentration of ozone. This layer is
primarily responsible for absorbing the ultraviolet radiation from the
sun.
 The troposphere is where all weather takes place; it is the region of
rising and falling packets of air. The air pressure at the top of the
troposphere is only 10% of that at sea level (0.1 atmospheres). There
is a thin buffer zone between the troposphere and the next layer
called the tropopause.
The Chemistry of the Atmosphere
 The thermosphere is the fourth layer of the earth's atmosphere which
lies directly above the mesosphere (middle layer) and directly below
the exosphere (top layer). The name Thermosphere is taken from the
Greek word thermos which means heat. Within this layer, ultraviolet
radiation causes ionization. That is why it is also called the
ionosphere. Shortwave radio waves can bounce off the ionosphere
and go to distant parts of the Earth. This layer is very helpful in radio
communication.
Earth’s Atmosphere
 Earth's atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21
percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases.
Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon
are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.
Gases are pollutants in the atmosphere

 Carbon dioxide result from the excess burning of carbon-containing fuel.

 Carbon monoxide produced by automobiles. This orderless and colorless gas is very
toxic.
 Ozone produced in the exhaust of internal combustion engine, and the variation of
ozone concentration in the stratosphere.
 Nitrogen oxides such as NO, NO2, N2O4; due to the production of NO in the internal
combustion engine.
 Methane gas produced due to treatments of large amount of waste.
 Sulfur oxides produced in mining operation and in the combustion of sulfur
containing fuel. Sulfur oxide causes the so called acid rain problem.
 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are gases used as refrigerant. When disposed into the
atmosphere, they cause the ozone concentration to decrease.
Ozone
 When an oxygen molecule receive a photon (h\nu), it dissociates into
monoatomic (reactive) atoms. These atoms attack an oxygen
molecule to form ozone, O3.
Chlorofluorohydrocarbons (CFCs)
 Chemist Roy J. Plunkett discovered tetrafluoroethylene resin while researching
refrigerants at DuPont. Known by its trade name, Teflon, Plunkett's discovery
was found to be extremely heat-tolerant and stick-resistant. After ten years of
research, Teflon was introduced in 1949. His continued research led to the
usage of chlorofluorohydrocarbons known as CFCs or freon as refrigerants.
 CFCs are made up of carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine. DuPont used a
number system to distinguish their product based on three digits. The digits
are related to the molecular formulas.
 The first digit is the number of carbon atoms minus 1.
 The second digit is the number of hydrogen atoms plus 1.
 The third digit is the number of fluorine atoms minus 1.
Chlorofluorohydrocarbons (CFCs)
 For example, CFC (or freon) 123 should have a formula C 2HF3Cl2. The number of chlorine atoms can
be deduced from the structural formula of saturated carbon chains. CFC's containing only one
carbon atom per molecule has only two digits. Freon 12 used for fridge and automobil air
conditioners has a formula of CF2Cl2. The nontoxic and nonflammable CFCs have been widely used as
refrigerants, in aerosol spray, and dry cleaning liquid, foam blowing agents, cleansers for electronic
components in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.
 In 1973, James Lovelock demonstrated that all the CFCs produced up to that time have not been
destroyed, but spread globally throughout the troposphere. (Lovelock's report was later published: J.
E. Lovelock, R.J.Maggs, and R.J. Wade, (1974); Nature, 241, 194) In the article, concentrations of
CFCs at some parts per 1011 by volume was measured, and they deducted that with such a
concentration, CFCs are not destroyed over the years. In 1974, Mario J. Molina published an article
in Nature describing the ozone depletion by CFCs. (see M.J. Malina and F.S. Rowland,
(1974); Nature, 249, 810) NASA later confirmed that HF was present in the stratosphere, and this
compound had no natural source but from the decomposition of CFCs. Molina and Rowland
suggested that the chlorine radicals in CFCs catalyze the decomposition of ozone as discussed below.
Chemistry of the Troposphere
Chemistry of the Troposphere
Resources
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Map%3
A_Chemistry_-_The_Central_Science_(Brown_et_al.)/
18%3A_Chemistry_of_the_Environment
 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/atmosphere/