Composition of Air
The world we reside in is covered with air, called the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is composed of several gases. The gases it contains are:
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon Dioxide
Neon
Helium
Hydrogen
Ozone, etc.
The most important gases are Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide. Air also contains water vapor and dust particles.
By volume, 78.084% of N2, 20.946% of O2, and 1% of trace gases together; these gases make the atmosphere. Trace gases are lesser in volume, but they are essential to us. The following diagram shows the constituents of air.
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What is the Composition of Air?
What do we take in for survival? We intake the oxygen. However, the air we breathe doesn’t contain oxygen only; it has a composition of several gases. The characteristics of these gases are:
Nitrogen & oxygen are present in bulk in the atmosphere.
Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Ozone, Argon are present in a lesser amount.
Minute dust particles are also present in the atmosphere.
Plants require nitrogen for their survival, which they can’t take direction, so they take CO2 from the atmosphere.
Therefore, bacteria present in the soil and the roots of plants take N2 and convert it into the form that is usable for plants.
Nitrogen is the plenteous gas in the atmosphere. Now, we will talk about other essential gases.
Oxygen
Oxygen is the second most copious gas in the air.
During photosynthesis, plants release oxygen into the atmosphere.
Humans and other living creatures take in oxygen for their survival.
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide is another essential gas in the atmosphere after N2 and O2.
Green plants utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) to prepare their food and release O2 into the atmosphere.
Point to Ponder
The amount of carbon dioxide expelled by humans or other living beings appears to be equivalent to the amount used by the plants, thereby making an exact balance in the atmosphere. However, this statement doesn’t maintain verity, do you know why?
If We Talk About the Below-Mentioned Factors
Industries
The burning of fossil fuels
Release of carbon dioxide by living beings.
The continuous discharge/emission of carbon dioxide is producing (creating) an imbalance in the atmosphere. That’s why the above statement is wrong.
Chemical Composition of Air
The table lists the chemical composition of air:
The gases mentioned in the table are also known as the Principal Gases of Air.
Air and Its Properties
Air has the following properties:
Air takes up volume.
Air takes up the volume of the container it is kept in.
Air has mass/weight.
Take a balloon, measure its weight. Now, fill another balloon with air and measure its weight. You will note a difference in their weights.
Air is affected by altitude/height.
The higher we go, the lower is the air pressure. Everest climbers use oxygen tanks because, at higher altitudes, the oxygen becomes thin. These tanks help climbers breathe normally.
Air is affected by temperature.
Higher is the temperature of the air, the faster the motion of air molecules.
Air exerts pressure in all directions.
On shaking the cold-drink bottle and removing its cap, carbon dioxide comes out with pressure and spreads in all directions.
Air is compressible.
Carbon dioxide inside the cold-drink bottle comes out with pressure on removing the cap of the bottle.
The Table Below Shows the Properties of Air
Did You Know?
The troposphere, the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere, contains three-quarters of all air. Air is a combination of gases, the majority of which are found in nature.
Air also includes a large quantity of man-made air pollutants, including some that are dangerous to breathe and others that contribute to global warming.
Water in all three phases (liquid, solid, and gas), as well as solid particles known as aerosols, are found in the troposphere.
FAQs on Air Composition Properties
1. Write the Chemical Properties of Carbon Dioxide?
The properties are:
It is colourless.
It is odourless at low concentrations.
It has a sharp, acidic smell at higher concentrations.
At standard temperature & pressure (STP), the density of CO2 is 1.98 kg/m3.
2. Write the Properties of Nitrogen.
The properties of N2 are:
N2 gas is inert, nonmetallic, odourless, and tasteless.
Its atomic number is 7, with an atomic mass of 14.0067.
The density of N₂ at 0 ⁰C is 1.251 g/liter.
Its specific gravity is 0.96737.
3. Write the uses of Air.
Uses of air are:
Air is the protective shield that protects the earth from the following impacts:
Harmful radiations like UV rays
Destruction creates celestial particles like X-rays, cosmic rays, asteroids.
Greenhouse effect: Air contains carbon dioxide that protects the earth from infrared radiation.
Causes changes in weather
Air helps to see the blue sky.
Air helps in pollination.
4. Write two Atmospheric Properties.
The two atmospheric properties lie hereunder:
1. Temperature
The temperature of the air is closely linked to the following atmospheric properties:
Pressure
Molecules in the air create pressure through both their weight and movement.
Volume
Density
5. What will the air composition be in 2021?
According to Vision Learning, the Earth's atmosphere is made up of 78 % nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.93 % Argon, 0.04 % carbon dioxide, and trace quantities of neon, helium, methane, krypton, ozone and hydrogen as well as water vapour. As you go through the levels of the atmosphere, the composition of the air does not change. The amount of molecules is what changes continuously. Yet the number of air molecules is decreasing.
6. Explain in detail the proportion of gases present in the air?
There are various gases present in the air, with a fixed amount of proportion. Nitrogen (N2) is the most prevalent naturally occurring gas, accounting for around 78 % of air. At around 21%, oxygen (O2) is the second most prevalent gas. Argon (Ar), an inert gas, is the third most prevalent gas, accounting for.93 % of the total. Carbon dioxide (CO2), neon (Ne), helium (He), methane (CH4), krypton (Kr), hydrogen (H2), nitrous oxide (NO), xenon (Xe), ozone (O3), iodine (I2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ammonia (NH3) are all present in tiny levels in the atmosphere.
7. What are Aerosols?
Aerosols or microscopic solid particles, such as dust, sea salt and ash from erupting volcanoes or forest fires are found in the air. The majority of these particles are tiny in size. Others are visible due to their size. Aerosols influence climate by assisting in the formation of clouds and shading the earth by dispersing or absorbing sunlight. As particulate matter spews from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, the number of aerosols in the atmosphere has risen in the previous century due to the development and widespread usage of combustion engines. Particles are also released into the air when wood and other materials are burned.
8. What is the significance of water vapours in the air?
The quantity of water in the air changes continually due to the water cycle. In locations near the tropics, the lower troposphere can contain up to 4% water vapour (H2O), whereas the poles have just minimal levels of water vapour. With increasing altitude, the concentration of water vapour reduces dramatically. The higher troposphere has far less water vapour than air at the surface, the stratosphere and mesosphere have almost little water vapour, and the thermosphere contains none at all.