ANKIT SHAH’S HOMI BHABHA EXAM CLASSES (STD VI)

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ATMOSPHERE: AIR & GASES

❖ INTRODUCTION:
• Earth is the only planet in solar system which has atmosphere around it that supports
life. Atmosphere is layer of gases known as the blanket of air. Air is mixture of gases.
• These gases are retained on earth due to Earth’s gravity. As we go away from the
earth’s surface, air blanket becomes thinner as Earth’s gravitational pull becomes poor.
• The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation and by
burning the meteoroids.
• The atmosphere retains heat and keeps us warm. Atmosphere prevents the earth from
extreme temperatures.

❖ LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE:
• Generally, atmosphere is considered up to the height of 100 km from earth’s surface.
• After that the air becomes very rare. Atmosphere has following layers:
TROPOSPHERE 0-12 km. Almost all water vapour is in this layer. Temperature
decreases with increase in height. All types of wind & clouds are
in this layer. Aircrafts, balloons fly in this layer.
STRATOSPHERE 12-50 km. It contains ozone layer(15-35 km). Ultraviolet rays from
sun are absorbed by ozone. Ozone is formed from oxygen.
Temperature increases with height.
MESOSPHERE 50-80 km. Temperature decreases with height. Extremely strong
winds in this region.
THERMOSPHERE 80 km onwards. Outermost layer. The temperature increases as
height increases. Temperature rises up to 1800oC. Two layers in
thermosphere are ionosphere & exosphere. This layer is useful
for radio communication. Most of the gases present in it are in
ionic form.
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❖ PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR:
• Air has mass & occupies space. You can feel air.
• Air is mixture of gases.
• Pure air is colorless & odourless.
• Air is humid. Moisture (water vapour) content in the air is called humidity.
• Air allows light to pass through i.e. transparent.
• Air supports burning/combustion.
• Air exerts pressure from all sides equally.
• Air can be liquefied at higher temperatures.

USES OF AIR: Burning, Breathing, Photosynthesis, winnowing of grains, Drying of clothes,

inflating tyre tubes, sail boats, wind mills etc.

❖ COMPOSITION OF AIR:

NAME SYMBOL % IN AIR

Nitrogen N2 78.084%
Oxygen O2 20.946%
Argon Ar 0.934%
Carbon dioxide CO2 0.0314%
Neon Ne 0.0018%
Methane CH4 0.0002%
Helium He 0.00052%
Krypton Kr 0.000114%
Hydrogen H2 0.000055%
Dust - Variable
Water vapour H2 O Variable

• Dust constitutes of fine particles of soil, sand & cement, smoke from factories, unburnt
carbon particles from fuel etc. Proportion of dust particles vary from place to place.

➢ NITROGEN:
• In 1772, Daniel Rutherford discovered the gas which did not support life.

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• Lavoisier named it Azote i.e. lifeless. In 1823, Antonie Chapel named it Nitrogen.
• It is a major component of air. It occurs in free state in the air.
✓ Properties:
• Colourless & odorless gas. Neutral in nature and acts as an inert gas.
• It is transparent in nature.
• At -196oC nitrogen becomes liquid.
• It does not support burning and is not combustible.
• It is slightly soluble in water.
✓ Nitrogen cycle:
• Nitrogen is found in air, soil & water. Nitrogen is converted to nitrates.
• Plants absorb this nitrate and make proteins.
• Animals eat plants and get proteins containing nitrogen.
• The excretory products & dead animals and plants are decomposed by denitrifying
bacteria and nitrogen again goes back to atmosphere.
✓ Uses:
• Since it is inert and non-combustible, it reduces or eliminates oxidation of materials.
• Most important use is to produce ammonia (NH3) which in turn is used to make fertilizer,
explosives and other substances.
• Liquid Nitrogen is used as a refrigerant for very low temperatures. It is used for
preserving food stuffs, donor’s blood and human organs.
• Amino acids (proteins) in organisms contain nitrogen.

➢ OXYGEN:
• It’s the most abundant element on earth, almost 50% of earth’s crust.
• It was discovered by English scientist, J.B. Priestly & Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774.
• Antoine Lavoisier gave the name ‘oxygen’ and explained ‘burning’ & ‘rusting’ as reaction
of the substance with oxygen.
• Oxygen is required for our survival. Oxygen can be prepared in laboratory by heating
oxides like mercury oxide, lead oxide, silver oxide, hydrogen peroxide etc.
✓ Properties:
• It is a colorless and odorless gas. It is slightly heavier than air.

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• Oxygen can be liquefied by cooling it to -183oC. Liquid oxygen is pale blue in color.
• It is partly soluble in water and essential for life under water.
• It is reactive in nature and supports combustion.
• It combines with most metals to form oxides by process called ‘oxidation’.
✓ Uses:
• Oxygen is essential for respiration of all living organisms & hence essential for life.
• Liquid oxygen is used in hospitals. Liquid oxygen is also used as fuels in rockets.
• Liquid O2 is also used by mountaineers, sea divers, astronauts, firemen, miners in the
form of oxygen mask in places where there is deficiency of oxygen.
• Oxygen is an important element of proteins & carbohydrates of all living matter.
• A mixture of oxygen & Nitrogen called as Nitrous Oxide (N2O) has anesthetic properties.
• An oxy-hydrogen flame produces temperature as high as 2800 oC while an oxy acetylene
flame produces temperature of 3200oC. This high temperature is useful in cutting &
welding of metals.
• Oxygen is highly efficient in removing impurities from iron as they are easily oxidized
& escape as gases.
• Oxygen in its other form as Ozone (O3) protects earth from UV rays of sun.

➢ CARBON DIOXIDE:
• Only 0.03% of air is carbon dioxide. Air is considered polluted if CO2 level rises above
0.06%. It can be prepared in laboratory by action of hydrochloric acid on lime
stone/marble.
✓ Properties:
• It is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. It is sparingly soluble in water.
• It is heavier than air. It is non-poisonous.
• It does not support combustion.
• It is sublimable at -57oC. Solid CO2 is called dry ice.
• It turns lime water milky by reacting chemically with calcium hydroxide in lime water
and forms calcium carbonate which is white in colour.
• It is acidic in nature, it turns blue litmus red.

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✓ Uses:
• It is used in the process of photosynthesis by plants.
• It is used as fire extinguisher. When sprayed over fire, it forms a barrier between the
burning substances and air (oxygen).
• Solid CO2 is called dry ice. It is formed at -57oC. Dry ice is used to store food products
like ice cream, fishes etc.
• Carbon dioxide is used to ‘aerate’ soft drinks and soda water. CO 2 is dissolved in these
soft drinks under pressure and they are sealed in bottles. Aerated drinks contain
carbonic acid and citric acid and hence are acidic.
• Green House effect: Water vapour & CO2 gas in air help to keep the air warm. They
prevent some of the surface heat created by the sunlight from escaping back into
space. This helps to maintain the temperature on earth. CO2 is also called the
greenhouse effect gas.
• We exhale air containing CO2

➢ INERT GASES:
• They form less than 1% of air. Argon = 0.93% & other inert gases = 0.03%.
• Inert gases do not chemically react. They are also called as noble gases.
• Helium, Argon, Neon, Krypton, Xenon, Radon are inert gases.
• They are inactive, monoatomic molecules and are very stable hence called inert gases.
✓ Uses:
• Helium is the lightest gas after hydrogen. It is used in balloons & air ships. It is safe
because of its non-inflammable property.
• Radon is used for treatment of cancer (radiotherapy).
• Argon is used to fill electric bulbs so that it prevents oxidation of tungsten filament and
thus enhancing life of filaments.
• Xenon bulbs are used in car head lamps.
• Neon is used to make colorful sign boards & in special tube lights called neon lights.

➢ HYDROGEN:
• Hydrogen is the lightest element. Hence it is the lightest gas.
• Most abundant element on earth is oxygen & most abundant element in universe is H 2

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• In 1776, Henry Cavendish prepared it & called it as ’inflammable air’.
• Lavoisier named it as water producer or hydrogen.
• Millions of stars are giving out heat and light energy because of fusion hydrogen atoms
to form helium molecules. Hydrogen is also present is sun’s center.
• Hydrogen can be obtained when hydrochloric acid reacts with iron, zinc or aluminium.
✓ Properties:
• It is a colourless, odorless & tasteless gas.
• It is lighter than air & insoluble in water
• It is highly combustible (easily catches fire). It burns with blue flame & slight explosion.
✓ Uses:
• Being lightest in element, can be used in balloons for study of atmosphere & weather.
• H2 gas is highly flammable & dangerous to use.
• It reacts with nitrogen to form ammonia gas.
• It is used as fuel in space programmes.

➢ OTHER GASES
➢ AMMONIA:
• Ammonia was discovered by Joseph Priestly in 1774.
• It is sparingly soluble in water.
• It is alkaline in nature, it turns red litmus paper blue.
• Ammonium salts are found in volcanic regions.
• It has a pungent smell which can be smelt at public urinals & cattle sheds.
• Liquid ammonia is used as refrigerant in manufacture of ice in factories.

➢ OZONE (O3):
• It is found in stratosphere layer. It protects us from ultraviolet (UV) rays of sun
which may cause skin cancer.
• Chloroflurocarbon (CFC) compounds are let out from air conditioners, refrigerators
and air fresheners which depletes our ozone layer.
• Ozone day is celebrated on 16th September.

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➢ CARBON MONOXIDE (CO):
• It is a poisonous gas. If carbon compounds are burnt in insufficient quantities of
oxygen, CO is formed.
• It combines with blood and prevents the organs of body from doing their activities.
• It combines with haemoglobin in blood & reduces oxygen content of blood which
can even lead to death.

➢ CHLORINE GAS (Cl2):

• It is poisonous, heavy, yellowish green gas.
• It is used to make bleaching powder. Bleaching powder is used to purify water
reservoirs and swimming pools because it kills germs.
• Chlorine has property to decolorize wet clothes, flowers and other carbon compounds.

➢ METHANE (CH4):
• It is also called as marsh gas or gobar gas which burns with blue flame without
any pollution.
• It is present in biogas. Biogas plants are excellent means of disposal of faecal
matter, plant parts and animal wastes.

➢ SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2):

• It is a poisonous gas. Vehicles emit this gas and causes air pollution.

➢ WATER VAPOUR:
• Water vapour content in air is called humidity. It is different at different places and
also different at different times at the same place.
• It influences weather, cloud formation & produces rain and fog.
• When the temperature of air falls, its water vapour content starts to condense
resulting in fog. Further fall in temperature results in formation of snow.
• Coastal areas have more humidity. Our body produces sweat which evaporates and
our body is cooled. In dry atmosphere, sweat evaporates very quickly.
• Humidity decreases with decrease in temperature & vice a versa.
• Relative humidity is the percentage of water vapour in the air based on the amount
the air can hold at a given temperature.

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❖ AIR POLLUTION:
• Harmful gases released in atmosphere disturb the natural composition of air. This is
called air pollution.

✓ CAUSES OF AIR POLLUTION:

• Incomplete burning of fuels like petrol, diesel, kerosene, coal, wood etc. generate gases
like CO2, NO2, SO2 etc.
• Insecticides & pesticides sprayed on fruits & plants disintegrate to form pollutants.
• Asbestos, silica, lead particles, cement particles etc. from industries act as pollutants.
• Increase in population increases the land required for residence, hence trees are cut
resulting in excessive increase in soil erosion which increases the dust level.
• Decomposition of dead & decaying matter releases gases like hydrogen sulfide and
ammonia in air.

✓ EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION:

• It causes major health hazard as we need air to breathe.
• It causes depletion of ozone layer.
• Dust and allergens causes asthma or other allergies.
• Process of photosynthesis is affected which results in stunted growth of plants.
• Smoke emitted by factories contain harmful gases which can cause lung cancer.
• CO released from vehicles reduces our oxygen levels in blood.
• Sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and nitrous oxide affect our respiratory system causing
lung diseases.
• Global warming is caused due to increase in CO2 levels in air as CO2 is responsible
for heat absorption.
• Acid rain: Exhausts from vehicles & fumes from industries emit gases like Sulphur
dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These acidic gases dissolve in rains forming sulphuric
acid & nitric acid, causing acid rains which affects plants & crops, structures & buildings.
They corrode marble. It reacts with marble structures like TAJ MAHAL, causing pitting
effect. To prevent further damage, automobiles are not allowed near the monument.

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✓ PREVENTION OF AIR POLLUTION:
• Filtration of gases coming out of chimneys so that harmful gases are not released out.
• Prefer to use natural gas as fuel instead of coal or oil products.
• Better tuning of automobiles.
• Use of non-conventional sources of energy like sun, wind, water etc.
• Planting of more & more trees.

❖ INTERESTING FACTS:
• Atmosphere around Jupiter contains argon & methane.
• Hydrogen Sulfide is released from rotten eggs.
• Onion slices releases Ammonia which irritates our eyes.
• Chlorine gas is a good germicide.
• Nitrous oxide is used by anesthetists for sedation in dental clinics. It is also called the
laughing gas.
• The gas used in kitchen cylinders is Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
• Methane & butane comprises the biogas.
• Ethylene gas is used for ripening of fruits manually.
• Helium, CO2 and NH3 are used as coolants for obtaining very low temperatures.
• The study of atmosphere is called meteorology.
• The density of air decreases with increase in altitude. Barometer is device used to
measure air pressure.
• Anemometer is a cup like device, used to measure wind speed.
• Sea level pressure of atmosphere is 760mm of mercury.

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