10.

Chemistry of the Atmosphere

Engr. Aaron Joseph J. Peñano

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 Panalanging Ekumeniko ng URS
Amang banal, buong lugod po naming pinapupurihan at
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pasasalamat sa inyong pagpapala at mga biyaya.

Hinihiling po namin ang iyong banal na patnubay sa University of

Rizal System at sa buong sambayanan.

Gabayan po ninyo kami upang magampanan namin ang aming mga

tungkulin na ipinagkatiwala ninyo sa amin sa diwa ng tapat na
paglilingkod.

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 Panalanging Ekumeniko ng URS
Ibuhos po ninyo sa amin ang mga biyaya upang lumago kami sa
wagas na pag-ibig sa diyos at sa aming kapwa nang sa gayon ay
manahan sa amin ang katalinuhan, katarungan, at kapayapaan
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na mapagtagumpayan ang mga pagsubok sa aming buhay habang
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Itulot po ninyo na kayo ay manatili sa aming diwa, salita, at gawa sa

tuwina.
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10. Chemistry of the Atmosphere
Engr. Aaron Joseph J. Peñano

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Outline
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Composition of Air
10.3 Importance of Nitrogen
10.4 Properties of Nitrogen
10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas
10.6 Carbon Dioxide in the Air
10.7 Uses of Helium
10.8 Use of Neon
10.10 Use of Argon

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10.1 Introduction
▪ Atmosphere - layer of gases surrounding a planet or other material body of
sufficient mass that is held in place by the gravity of the body2

exosphere
mesosphere

thermosphere
stratosphere

mesosphere
stratosphere troposphere
troposphere

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10.2 Composition of Air1
Composition in Percent Volume of Pure Dry Air
at Sea Level, 15°C and 101.325 Pa (1 atm)

N2 78.084% H2 0.00005% ▪ The list did not include water vapor (dry air
O2 20.9476% Xe 0.000008% only) but air actually can contain 1-5% water
vapor. This makes water vapor the third most
Ar 0.934% O3 0.000007% common gas in air.
CO2 0.0314% NO2 0.000002% ▪ Clean air’s composition is altered by human
Ne 0.001818% I2 0.000001% activities, such as those that cause air
He 0.000524% CO trace pollution.

CH4 0.0002% NH3 trace

Kr 0.000114%

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10.3 Importance of Nitrogen1
▪ The air we breathe contains 78% N2. Our body only uses 4% of the air we take
in. Our lungs pump a large amount of inert N2 in and out.

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10.3 Importance of Nitrogen1
▪ Extremely rapid combustion of fuel is prevented because of the amount of N2
in the air. If the atmosphere were pure O2, smoking will no longer be possible.

Quick Combustion of Steel

Wool under the Presence
of Pure Oxygen3

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10.3 Importance of Nitrogen1
▪ If air is pure oxygen, corrosion of metals would proceed at such a rapid rate
that many metals would be impractical for use.

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10.4 Properties of Nitrogen1
▪ At ordinary temperatures, nitrogen is odorless, colorless, and tasteless.

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10.4 Properties of Nitrogen1
▪ At atmospheric pressure, nitrogen’s freezing and boiling points are -209.9°C
and -195.8°C, respectively.
▪ Because of its low boiling point, nitrogen is difficult to liquefy.

Liquid Nitrogen Vaporizing

Quickly when Poured at
Atmospheric Conditions

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10.4 Properties of Nitrogen1
▪ At standard conditions, 22.4 L of the gas or 1 mol weighs 28 g, hence its
formula is N2.

▪ N2 gas is relatively insoluble in water: a little more than 2 mL dissolves in 100

mL of water at standard conditions.
▪ It is an inert substance: it combines with few elements and with difficulty

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1

▪ The Haber process is used to manufacture ammonia (NH3) which is the

greatest use of N2. 4

𝑁2 𝑔 + 3𝐻2 𝑔 ↔ 2𝑁𝐻3 (𝑔)

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1
▪ Because of its unreactive nature, large amounts of nitrogen are also used in
the manufacture of electronic components such as transistors

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1
▪ Because of its unreactive nature, large amounts of nitrogen are also used in
missile work as a purge
▪ Nitrogen purges rocket engines displacing gases and liquids, effectively
cleaning the engine and preventing any volatile mixtures before ignition.5

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1
▪ Because of its unreactive nature, large amounts of nitrogen are also used in
the oil industry to form high pressures underground resulting to an increased
flow of crude oil.

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1
▪ Because of its unreactive nature, large amounts of nitrogen are also used as a
shield to prevent oxidation in the annealing of metals
▪ Annealing - a heat treatment process that changes the physical and sometimes also the
chemical properties of a material to increase ductility and reduce the hardness to
make it more workable6

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10.5 Uses of Nitrogen Gas1
▪ Because of its unreactive nature, large amounts of nitrogen are also used as a
preservative to prevent rancidity in packaged foods
▪ Rancidity - condition produced by aerial oxidation of unsaturated fat present in foods and
other products, marked by unpleasant odor or flavor7

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10.6 Carbon Dioxide in the Air1
▪ Air is around 0.035% CO2 produced from man and animal respiration, decay
and rotting, and the combustion of coal, wood, gasoline, and other fuels.

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10.6 Carbon Dioxide in the Air1
▪ CO2 is usually appreciably higher in urban centers than in the provinces
because of the concentration of population and industrial activity.

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10.7 Uses of Helium1
▪ Prior to 1946, helium was used mainly in balloons and other lighter-than-air
aircrafts. While helium is somewhat heavier than hydrogen, it has the
important advantages of being noncombustible and having a lower rate of
diffusivity.

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10.7 Uses of Helium1
▪ It is used in diving bells to lessen the danger of
decompression sickness (caisson disease or
bends), which results from a too-rapid escape of
nitrogen from the blood stream of divers coming
to the surface.
▪ Since the solubility of helium in blood is much
less than that of nitrogen, it may advantageously
be mixed with oxygen for use under high
pressures.

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10.7 Uses of Helium1

▪ Helium is also used for shielded-arc

welding.

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10.7 Uses of Helium1

▪ Helium is also used for low

temperature research. Liquid helium
boils at 4.25 K. This extremely cold
liquid can condense any other gases.

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 10.7 Uses of Helium1

▪ A large use of He has been

for pressurizing liquid fuel
rockets. The Saturn booster,
for example, used on the
Apollo lunar missions
required about 13 million
cubic feet of He for this
purpose for each firing.

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 10.8 Use of Neon1
▪ Neon produces a colored light in discharge tubes.
Although these gases do not form ions in ordinary
chemical changes, ions may be produced by
removal of electrons in a discharge tube under a
high alternating current potential.

▪ The gas is enclosed in a tube at a low pressure (5-

10 Torr), where the application of several
thousand volts produces ions and renders the gas
a conductor of the current. Light of a characteristic
color is emitted because of the “activation” of the
atoms through a displacement of electrons.

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10.9 Use of Argon1
▪ Argon is used in filling electric light bulbs and electronic tubes; it has certain
advantages over nitrogen in prolonging the life of the filaments, mainly
chemical inertness.

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Questions?

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 References
1. Cabandong, G. A., & Rubio, J. C. (2020). Course guide in CHEM IE (chemistry for engineers). College of Engineering, University of Rizal System.

2. Earth’s atmosphere. (n. d.). Meteorological Service Singapore. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from http://www.weather.gov.sg/learn_atmosphere/

3. [ReactionFactory]. (2010, June 5). Combustion in pure oxygen [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved November 4, 2021 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
zsnDK3vQ3Ho

4. Clark, J. (2020, August 16). The Haber process. Chemistry LibreTexts. Retrieved November 4, 2021 from https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_
and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Equilibria/Le_Chateliers_Principle/
The_Haber_Process

5. Paur, J. (2012, May 21) How one faulty nitrogen-purge valve forced SpaceX to abort. Wired. Retrieved November 5, 2021 from https://www.wired.com/2012/
05/spacex-nitrogen-purge-valve-abort/

6. What is annealing? A complete process guide (n. d.). TWI. Retrieved November 5, 2021 from https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-
annealing

7. Rancidity (2015, February 10). Britannica. Retrieved November 5, 2021 from https://www.britannica.com/science/rancidity

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