Question

The inactive component of air is.
A) Oxygen.
B) Nitrogen.
C) Both A and B.
D) None of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: We all know that air surrounds us everywhere. First, the air was thought to be a pure substance but later it was found to be a mixture of many gases. The composition of air is not constant; it changes from place to place. For example: in polluted areas, carbon dioxide is very high over there so air contains a higher percentage of carbon dioxide.

Complete step by step answer:Given,
Air contains about $78\% $ of nitrogen but it is an inactive component because it dilutes the activity of oxygen and it is essential for the growth of plants.
Let us discuss some main components of air.
Water vapor: During summer water in oceans and rivers evaporates and escapes into the air. Thus water vapor is one of the components of the air and it occupies less percentage of earth’s atmosphere.
Oxygen: Air contains oxygen which supports combustion and oxygen is the one of the major components of air. Air contains \[21\% \] oxygen.
Nitrogen: Air contains incombustible gases which mean gases which don’t support combustion. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas and it occupies nearly\[\;78\% \] of earth’s atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is formed by respiration by plants and animals or by burning the fuel. Nearly, \[0.038\% \] of the earth’s atmosphere is occupied by carbon dioxide.
Smoke and dust particles: Due to the burning of fuels, smoke is present in our atmosphere and its occupancy differs from place to place. It is a mixture of gases and it is harmful and also dust particles are also present in our atmosphere. Less than 1% of earth’s atmosphere is occupied by Smoke and dust particles.
$\therefore $The option B is correct.


Note:
We know that the nitrogen is produced through a process called nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation is a continuous process between the living organisms and atmosphere. Rhizobium, which is associated with plants in the pea family, and different Azospirillum species, which are associated with cereal grasses, is examples of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria.