Topic 5 Air

Composition of clean dry air

The approximate percentage composition by volume of gases present in unpolluted dry air
is
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Noble gases and
Carbon dioxide

78 %
21 %
remainder

Separation of Nitrogen and oxygen

All the raw materials are obtained by the fractional distillation of liquefied air.
1) Air is filtered to remove dust
2) The air is cooled to -80C to remove water and carbon dioxide solid.
3) Then air is compressed to 100 atm then cooled to -200C. At this temperature most of the
air is liquefied.
4) Liquid air is passed into a fractionating column and then distilled. The gases can be
separated because of their different boiling points. Nitrogen, with the lower boiling point,
leaves the fractionating column as a vapour. Oxygen is left as a liquid residue.

Uses of air
Air is the major source for raw materials like:
1. Oxygen: steel production, welding, in hospitals by patients to restore life to polluted lakes
and rivers.
2. Nitrogen: used as refrigerant in the liquid form, in food packaging, as an inert atmosphere
for some processes and chemical reactions and to produce ammonia by the Haber process
3. Noble gases are used to provide an inert atmosphere:
*argon is used in lamps as the filament will last for longer time
*helium in filling balloons

Experiments to show that air contains 21 % (about one fifth) oxygen gas
1) Using copper

100 cm3 of air was passed from one side to the other over red copper heated with a Bunsen.
All the oxygen in the air reacts with the copper.
No air could get in or out of the system. As air was passed to and fro, its volume decreased. Air
was passed until the volume stopped decreasing, and a few minutes later the volume of
remaining air was recorded.
There was 79 cm3 left. This shows that 21cm3 of the original 100cm3 of air was oxygen, because
it was the oxygen that reacted with the copper to form black copper (II) oxide.
During this experiment, you should see the copper turns black as it forms copper (II) oxide.
copper + oxygen copper (II) oxide
2Cu (s) + O2 (g) 2CuO (s)
pink

black

2) Using the rusting of iron

Rusting is the process by which an iron or steel object reacts with the oxygen of the air in the
presence of water to produce a layer of oxide.
Rusting requires both oxygen and water.
Salt or acid will accelerate rusting
Experiment
1. Weigh some iron nails and place them suspended in a graduated measuring cylinder as
shown in the figure.

2. Leave the set up for one week and observe what happens to the level of water and the color
of iron nails.
Observation
1. Level of water rises and reaches a constant level (because the iron nails react with oxygen in
the air).
2. The color of the iron nails change to rusty brown or reddish brown.
Calculation
Calculate the percentage of oxygen in air as follows:

150 -118.5
100 = 21%
150

Air pollutants
Pollutant
sulphur dioxide
oxides of nitrogen
hydrogen sulphide
lead compounds
carbon monoxide

source
combustion of coal and petroleum
combustion of coal and petroleum
combustion of coal and petroleum
combustion of coal and petroleum
incomplete combustion of coal and petroleum

1. Sulphur dioxide
Source:
1. Fossil fuels that contain sulfur compounds.
2. Industrial plants and power stations that use sulphur-containing coal or oil as
fuel.
Harmful effect:
Sulphur dioxide is a poisonous gas that causes acid rain (refer to acid rain)
In order to prevent the release of this gas, lime scrubbers (containing calcium oxide,
CaO) are added to the chimneys of factories where they react with the released gas and
prevents the escape of sulphur dioxide gas.
This is basically a neutralization reaction that destroys the acidic properties of the gas,
where calcium oxide, CaO, is used as the neutralizing material.
CaO (s) + SO2 (g) CaSO3 (s)
2. Lead compounds
Source: motor vehicles, petrol, car exhausts and in old paint
Harmful effect: harmful to the brain and nervous system.
3. Carbon monoxide
Source: Incomplete combustion of the fossil fuels.
Harmful effect: Carbon monoxide is a toxic (poisonous) gas. It binds to hemoglobin to
form carboxyhemoglobin that binds to the red blood cells and reduces the ability of red
blood cells to carry oxygen leading to asphyxiation.

4. Oxides of nitrogen
Source: In petrol engines, sparks (or high temperature) are used to ignite the petrol. These
sparks cause nitrogen and oxygen in the air to react to produce oxides of nitrogen.
Harmful effect: causes acid rain (refer to acid rain)

Acid Rain

When sulphur dioxide reacts with water in the air it forms sulfurous acid, when oxides of
nitrogen react with water in rain they form nitric acid. The rain becomes acidic and hence is
called acid rain.
Natural rain is slightly acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide (forms carbonic acid), it has a pH
of 5.5 whereas acid rain has a pH of around 4
Problems caused by acid rain
1. Acid rain reacts with iron and steel objects leading to their corrosion.
2. Acid rain reacts with carbonate in marble and limestone (calcium carbonate) leading to the
erosion of the stone buildings and statues.leading to death of fish and other aquatic life.
3. Acid rain damages plants leading to their stunted growth and eventually death.
4. Acid rain enhances leaching of vital minerals out of the soil leading to the death of trees.

Catalytic converter

Since the early 1990's, car exhausts have been fitted with catalytic converters. These use
transition metals such as rhodium, palladium and platinum to convert harmful emissions into
less harmful substances.
Catalytic converters are used to help to minimize the release of these toxic gases.
1. Carbon monoxide is converted to carbon dioxide (oxidized by oxides of nitrogen)
2. Oxides of nitrogen are converted to nitrogen (reduced by carbon monoxide)
3. Hydrocarbons react with oxygen and are converted to carbon dioxide and water.

Typical reactions are

carbon monoxide + oxygen carbon dioxide.
2CO(g) + O2(g) 2CO2(g)
carbon monoxide + nitrogen monoxide carbon dioxide + nitrogen.
2CO(g) + 2NO(g) 2CO2(g) + N2(g)
hydrocarbons + nitrogen monoxide carbon dioxide + nitrogen + water.

Catalytic converters have a large surface area and work best at a high temperature.
In addition, lead has been removed from petrol, reducing widespread lead pollution in the
environment.
Note:

Catalytic converter are poisoned in the presence of lead.

Carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases and global warming.

How does carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases cause global warming?
The temperature of our planet is a balance between the amount of heat it receives in the day from
the Sun and the amount of heat given out at night into space.
During the day, energy from the Sun reaches the Earth in the form of electromagnetic radiation
(this includes heat and light). The surface temperature (and the atmospheric temperature) of the
Earth rises in the day. At night, heat energy from the Earth is lost to space.
Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour and nitrous oxides absorb the energy that was supposed
to be given off by the Earth at night and keep it in the atmosphere. The more of these gases in the
atmosphere, the more heat is absorbed, and less can escape at night into space. The overall effect
is that the Earth receives more heat in the day than it can lose at night, so the temperature rises.
Gases that absorb this energy are called greenhouse gases

Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are causing the global temperature of the Earth to rise. This rise in temperature
affects the climate all over the planet in ways which are hard to predict. Some areas may become
wetter or dryer, other areas may become hotter. The main (predictable) directions of wind and
ocean currents on the planet may slow down, speed up, or change direction. This could have
catastrophic consequences for life on planet Earth, including rising sea levels because of ice
melting at the poles and more extreme weather because of more convection in the hotter wetter
atmosphere.