AIR POLLUTION

CHEMISTRY
 ATMOSPHERE

Pure air is described as a mixture of

the following gases:
78.0% N2, 20.1% O2, 0.9% Ar, 0.03%
CO2, 0.002% Ne, 0.005% He plus
other gases. Such pure air does not
exist but it serves as a reference for
clean air.
 Atmospheric pressure (millibars)
0 200 400 600 800 1,000
120 75
Temperature Highlights:
110 Pressure
65 Pressure decreases
100 Thermosphere
with altitude until it
90 55 reaches zero
Altitude (kilometers)

80 Heating via ozone

Troposphere is the

Altitude (miles)
Mesosphere 45
70 layer we live in;
60 mostly N and O;
35
50
weather; colder as
Stratosphere you go up
40 25

30
Stratosphere: has the
Ozone layer 15 ozone layer; warmer
20
Heating from the earth as you go up
10 Troposphere
5
Environmental science
Pressure = 1,000
0
(Sea 80 40 0 40 80 120 millibars focuses
at mostly on
Level) Temperature (C) ground level
those two layers
 ATMOSPHERE
Stratospheric ozone absorbs 95%
of UV radiation
3O2 + UV 2 O3
Tropospheric ozone is harmful to
plants, animals, and humans.
Tropospheric ozone is made when air
pollutants undergo chemical
reactions because of UV exposure.
 ATMOSPHERE
The oxygen atom generated from the
initial reaction reacts with
atmospheric, diatomic oxygen, to
form ozone.
This polluting ozone of the

O O2 O3
lithosphere, traps heat and
contributes to thermal inversion.
 Smog

Photochemical: brown air smog

Caused by UV reacting with
chemicals (NOx, VOCs in the
atmosphere) Found in modern cities,
especially in warm, sunny areas.
Industrial smog: gray air smog
Caused by burning of fossil fuels,
adds sulfur to air. Rare in developed
countries now as soot is removed by
 PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG

Nitrogen oxide is an essential

ingredient of photochemical smog
that is produced during the high
temperatures associated with
combustion of vehicles engines.
N 2 O2 Energy 2 NO
How is it that toxins, from
thousands of miles away
can enter an ecosystem
that previously had no trace
of these pollutants?
Recent studies show that Inuits
have some of the worlds
highest levels of toxic chemicals
in their bodies. The discovery of
toxic pollutants in the food
supply has put 155,000 Inuits
on the brink of a public health
disaster.
Grasshopper Effect
In a phenomenon
scientists call the
grasshopper effect,
toxic pollutants
released thousands of
miles to the south
evaporate in the
warm climate. They
then ride the winds
until they reach the
cold air of the Arctic,
where they
 ACID RAIN
The pH of rainwater is normally
slightly acidic, at about 5.6, due
mainly to reaction of carbon dioxide
with water to form carbonic acid.
CO2 H 2O H 2CO3
SO2 H 2O H 2 SO3

SO3 H 2O H 2 SO4
2 NO2 H 2O HNO3 HNO2
 Wind

Transformation to
sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
and nitric acid (HNO3)
Nitric oxide (NO)
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
and NO
Acid fog
Windborne ammonia gas
and particles of cultivated soil
partially neutralize acids and Wet acid deposition
form dry sulfate and nitrate salts (droplets of H2SO4 and
HNO3 dissolved in rain
Dry acid
and snow)
deposition
(sulfur dioxide
gas and particles
of sulfate and
nitrate salts)

Farm
Ocean Lakes in shallow
Lakes in soil low in
deep soil limestone
high in limestone become
are buffered acidic

Acid Rain formation

 Wind

Z
Y
Farm
Ocean

Which location does sulfuric

& nitric acids transform?
 Wind
Transformation to
sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
and nitric acid (HNO3)

Z
Y
Farm
Ocean

Identify the type of acid

deposition at point Y
 Wind

Z
Dry acid
deposition

Farm
Ocean

Identify the type of acid

deposition at point Z
 Wind

Wet acid deposition

Y
Farm
Ocean

PRECIPITATION!
 Temperature Inversion
Warmer air
Increasing altitude

Inversion layer

Cool layer

Mountain Mountain

Valley

Decreasing temperature

Traps pollutants near surface. Mountains prevent

wind in area and shadow sun to keep lower air cool.
 Temperature Inversion
Descending warm air mass
Increasing altitude

Inversion layer

Sea breeze

Mountain
range

Decreasing temperature

Traps pollutants near surface. Mountains prevent

pollutants leaving. Sea breeze blows in, not out.
 AIR POLLUTION

AIR POLLUTION means the presence in

the outdoor atmosphere of one or more
contaminants in quantities with
characteristics and of durations such as
to be injurious to human , plant, animal
life and property or which unreasonably
interfere with the comfortable
enjoyment of life and property.
Engineers Joint Council (USA)
 AIR POLLUTION
METHODS OF IDENTIFYING AIR
POLLUTION:
Sensory recognition
Physical measurement of
pollution
Effects on plants, animals and
buildings
 Identification Methods
1. Sensory Recognition
- Strong unusual odors
- Reduction in visibility
- Eye irritation
- Acid taste in the mouth
- Feel of grit under foot
* Very subjective and vary
from individual to individual
 Identification Methods
2. Physical Measurement
- testing/ detection of trace
quantities of many air-borne toxic
substances
3. Effects on Plants, Buildings,
Animals
- observation on the growth of plants
and health of animals
- deleterious effects on buildings
H A H P B
C X R I L
NO T

Q A H P U T
C X Y I L R
D A R P A
S X N T D