science q3 - sustainability of the atmosphere

What are fossil fuels?

Natural fuels made from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.

Name the main groups of fossil fuels.

Crude oil, coal, and natural gas.

What is crude oil mainly composed of?

Hydrocarbons (organic compounds made of hydrogen and carbon).

What are hydrocarbons typically in crude oil?

Alkanes.

What is petrol mainly used as?

Transport fuel.

What are the main components of petrol?

Different hydrocarbons, primarily octane.

What is diesel used for?

Larger transport vehicles.

What are the characteristics of diesel hydrocarbons?

Larger hydrocarbons with longer carbon chains.

What are some uses of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)?

Home gas bottles and fuel for cars.

What is natural gas mainly composed of?

Methane, ethane, and propane.

Where is natural gas extracted from?

Deep below the earth.

What is the use of natural gas?

Similar reasons to LPG and to generate electricity in gas-fired power plants.

What needs to happen to crude oil before we can use it?

It needs to be separated and refined to create fuels like petrol, diesel and natural gas.

What is Coal used for?

To generate electricity.

What is coal mostly made of?

Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

What is the equation for photosynthesis?

Carbon dioxide + water ->(chlorophyll/light)-> glucose + oxygen

What is the chemical formula for glucose?

C6H12O6

What is the role of glucose in plants?

Food for plants, providing energy to grow.

What do plants do with remaining glucose?

It is used to make starch.

What is starch?

An energy store for plants.

Why is starch an energy store?

It can be changed back to glucose when plants need to make more ATP through respiration

Where can starch be stored in plants?

Leaves, seeds, and tubers (potatoes).

What does the presence of starch indicate?

Occurred Photosynthesis occurs.

How can you test for the presence of starch?

Through the iodine test

What is the positive result of the starch test?

Blue black color

What is the negative result of the starch test?

Yellow orange color (doesn’t change)

What are three ways glucose is used by cells?

To make fruits, cell walls and proteins.

What is the role of chlorophyll?

The chemical that allows energy from the sun to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

What is respiration?

The way of breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide.

What is cellular respiration?

One of the ways cells gain energy to fuel their cellular activity.

How is energy stored in our body at the cellular level?

In a molecule called ATP.

What is the carbon related waste product of cellular respiration?

Carbon dioxide.

What is the role of oxygen in our cells?

Helps cells to do their work and get energy from our food through respiration.

What are the two main types of respiration?

Aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

What are the characteristics of aerobic respiration?

Requires oxygen and mostly occurs in both animals and plants.

What are the characteristics of anaerobic respiration?

Occurs without much oxygen and mainly occurs in microorganisms.

What is combustion?

Burning.

What is the equation of cellular respiration?

Glucose + oxygen > carbon dioxide + water + energy

What is the equation for aerobic respiration?

C6H12O6 + 6O2 > 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

Why is ATP referred to with aerobic respiration?

Energy (ATP) is released.

What happens when the body cannot supply cells with enough oxygen?

Anaerobic respiration occurs, causing a buildup in the muscles and leading to fatigue.

What is the difference between breathing and respiration?

Breathing is the process of inhalation and exhalation in the lungs, while respiration is a chemical process in cells to release energy.

What is a hydrocarbon?

Any compound formed from only carbon and hydrogen.

How does boiling point change as hydrocarbon chain length increases?

Boiling point increases.

What is the physical state of longer alkanes at room temperature?

Liquids or solids.

What are the properties of shorter alkanes?

More volatile (evaporate more easily) and easily flammable.

What are the properties of longer alkanes?

More viscous (thick and sticky).

What is the main use of hydrocarbons?

Fuel because they release much energy when burned with oxygen.

What is required for complete combustion?

Enough oxygen.

What is the general formula for alkanes?

CnH₂n + ₂

What are the products of complete combustion?

Carbon dioxide and water.

What are the products of incomplete combustion?

Carbon monoxide (CO) and water, or carbon (C) and water.

What is the equation for complete combustion?

Hydrocarbon + Oxygen > Carbon Dioxide + Water

How do greenhouses trap heat?

Sunlight passes through, heats the ground, which emits infrared waves that are reflected by the glass or plastic.

What happens to the warm air in a greenhouse?

It tries rising but is contained by the walls/roof, causing the inside of the greenhouse to heat up.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The trapping of the sun’s heat radiation by greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

List some greenhouse gasses.

Water Vapour, Methane, Ozone, CFC, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide

What is the carbon cycle?

The recycling of carbon through living and nonliving things, including the soil, water, living things, and the atmosphere.

What role do plants play in the carbon cycle?

Absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

What is the role of plants in the carbon cycle (using sunlight)?

Take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil and the atmosphere, and utilize sunlight to convert this into glucose and oxygen which is a form of energy for a plant.

What happens when animals eat plants?

They create carbon dioxide through cellular respiration.

What happens to organisms after death?

They decompose and can be turned into fossil fuels.

What happens when fossil fuels are used through combustion?

Carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere.

Where is carbon found in the biosphere?

In the carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc. of all living things.

How does carbon enter the hydrosphere?

By dissolving in lakes, rivers, and oceans.

What forms does atmospheric carbon take?

Mostly in the form of Carbon Dioxide and Methane (CH₄).

How does carbon enter the lithosphere?

Through the decomposition of organisms.

What is the photosynthesis equation?

Carbon dioxide + water >(chlorophyll/light)> glucose + oxygen

Compare cellular respiration and combustion

Cellular respiration is a slow, step-by-step process that stores energy for cells to use, while combustion quickly releases all its energy as heat and light.

Describe the relationship between combustion and photosynthesis.

Combustion and photosynthesis are opposite processes in many ways. Combustion releases energy, photosynthesis stores energy.

What is global warming?

An increase in the greenhouse effect makes the earth warmer

List some affects of global warming.

Temperature fluctuation, coastal flooding, plant death, rainfall changes