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Purified argon gas is the most commonly used inert gas due to its high natural abundance (78.3% N 2, 1% Ar in air) [3] and low relative cost. Unlike noble gases , an inert gas is not necessarily elemental and is often a compound gas.
- Gases
- Water Vapor
- Aerosols
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Chemistry of The Air
The most abundant naturally occurring gas is nitrogen (N2), which makes up about 78% of air. Oxygen (O2) is the second most abundant gas at about 21%. The inert gas argon (Ar) is the third most abundant gas at 0.93%. There are also trace amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), neon (Ne), helium (He), methane (CH4), krypton (Kr), hydrogen (H2), nitrous oxi...
Due to the water cycle, the amount of water in the air is constantly changing. The lower troposphere can contain up to 4% water vapor (H2O) in areas near the tropics, while the poles contain only trace amounts of water vapor. The concentration of water vapor decreases drastically with altitude. The upper troposphere has less water vapor than air ne...
Air also contains tiny solid particles called aerosols, such as dust, sea salt, and ash from erupting volcanoes or forest fires. Many of these particles are so small that they are microscopic. Others are large enough to see. Aerosols affect climate by helping clouds form and shading the planet by scattering or absorbing sunlight. In the last centur...
Like everything on Earth, the air is made of chemicals. The chemicals in the air often combine with each other, or with other chemicals from the Earth’s surface, through chemical reactions. Many of these chemical reactions help maintain healthy natural environments and are vital for plants and animals. Nitrogen gas in the atmosphere does almost not...
The table below lists the major gas components and their role in the atmosphere. Click on each molecule name to learn more about them.
The mixture of gases that makes up the Earth’s atmosphere is known as air. Nitrogen makes up 78 % of this gas, which is mixed with oxygen (21%), water vapour (variable), argon (0.9 %), carbon dioxide (0.04%), and trace gases. There is no apparent scent or colour in pure air.
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- Air is a mixture of a number of different gases. Nitrogen, oxygen, which is essential for animals and humans’ survival, carbon dioxide, water vapou...
- Air is a solution as well: it’s a homogeneous mixture of gaseous nitrogen solvent and oxygen, as well as smaller amounts of other gaseous solutes.
- Air can be found almost everywhere on the planet, except where there is water. Air can even be found in the earth’s surface layer, in the soil. Air...
- The force that air exerts on objects is known as air pressure. As a result of the earth’s magnetic attraction force, all air in the atmosphere pres...
- The term “wind” refers to air that is moving. The air moves as a result of many sorts of air pressure on the surface of the earth. Wind direction a...
- Nitrogen (78.1%) While nitrogen is the most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere, it only makes up 0.005% of Earth’s crust in weight (David Darling). Nitrogen is incredibly stable and requires a lot of energy to change forms.
- Oxygen (20.9%) Earth has the conditions for life to flourish. Oxygen is essential to human life as our lungs respire oxygen and uses it in metabolism.
- Argon (0.93%) As an inert gas, argon doesn’t bond or do much in the atmosphere. This is why there’s no argon cycle. But we have nitrogen and carbon because of their ability to bond with other elements.
- Carbon Dioxide (0.04%) Carbon is the most important element for building molecules essential for living things. As you can see from the long-term carbon cycle, carbon takes up various forms such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and glucose (C6H12O6).
Our planet is surrounded by an invisible shell of air, called the atmosphere, held in place by the Earth’s gravitational field. It’s made up of a mixture of different gases.
Aug 12, 2024 · The composition of the atmosphere today is: About four-fifths (approximately 80%) nitrogen. about one fifth (approximately 20%) oxygen. small proportions of other gases including carbon dioxide, water vapour and trace quantities of the noble gases.
Coal, oil and natural gas are widely used fuels and when they burn, the hydrocarbons react with oxygen. If there is plenty of air, complete combustion happens: the hydrogen atoms combine with...
