Environmental Chemistry Test 1

Front 1

What are the three major energy sources in the US?

Back 1

Petroleum, gas and coal

Front 2

What region has the largest oil reserves?

Back 2

Middle east

Front 3

What region has the largest coal reserves?

Back 3

Asia

Front 4

What four types of radiation are qualified as ionizing radiation?

Back 4

X-rays, alpha rays, beta rays and gamma rays

Front 5

What are the three main component of the dry atmosphere?

Back 5

O2, N2, and Argon

Front 6

What three things are important sources for fine particles directly or indirectly?

Back 6

Vegetation, vehicles and powerplants

Front 7

Name three greenhouse gasses.

Back 7

CH4, CO2 and H2O

Front 8

What two species are called odd oxygen?

Back 8

O and O3

Front 9

True or false: coal is of oceanic origin.

Back 9

False

Front 10

True or false: n-heptane has a higher octane rating than iso-octane.

Back 10

False

Front 11

True or false: there is a nuclear fission power plant right outside Phoenix.

Back 11

True

Front 12

True or false: The only way to get electricity from solar energy is through photovoltaic cells.

Back 12

False

Front 13

True or false: The albedo of ice caps is higher than the albedo of forests.

Back 13

True

Front 14

True or false: An increase in greenhouse gages in the troposhere can lead to cooler temperatures in the stratosphere.

Back 14

True

Front 15

True or false: radical reactions are very rare in the atmosphere.

Back 15

False

Front 16

True or false: Mars is much warmer than Earth.

Back 16

False

Front 17

True or false: CO2 is a minor component of the atmosphere on Mars.

Back 17

False

Front 18

True or false: Argentina has the largest petroleum reserves in South American.

Back 18

False

Front 19

True or false: The largest hydroelectric powerplants are much smaller than the average nuclear powerplants.

Back 19

False

Front 20

True or false: All uranium isotopes are fissionable.

Back 20

False

Front 21

True or false: The middle east has not only the largest oil reserves but also the largest coal reserves.

Back 21

False

Front 22

True or false: Natural sources, including radon and cosmic rays, acount for 80% of the average American exposure to radioactivity.

Back 22

True

Front 23

True or false: The Antarctic ozone hole is responsible for a dramatic increase in skin cancer in the US.

Back 23

False

Front 24

True or false: Kerosene is more volatile than gasoline.

Back 24

False

Front 25

True or false: Nuclear fusion is widely used in the US to generate electricity.

Back 25

False

Front 26

True or false: Tidal power plants rely on brand new technology and first power plants are only in construction.

Back 26

False

Front 27

True or false: The most efficient way to get electricity from solar energy is through photovoltaic cells.

Back 27

False

Front 28

True or false: CFCs are responsible for ozone depletion and are efficient greenhouse gases.

Back 28

True

Front 29

Explain how geothermal heat can be used as a source of electricity.

Back 29

-Geothermal heat is exploited to heat water first
- This is accomplished by pumping water in the hot region of the earth and recirculating the hot water on the earth's surface to produce steam.
- the steam can be used to drive a turbine that will create electricity

Front 30

Nitrogen oxides are thermodynamically unstable, nevertheless NO, N20 and NO2 exist and play important roles in air pollution issues, why do they exist?

Back 30

Oxides of nitrogen are produced at high temperature combustion prcesses. They are slowly converted back to N2 and O2 because the activation energy is very high.

Front 31

Give two advantages and two disadvantages of petroleum compared to wind energy.

Back 31

Petroleum has high availability, established distribution system and is cheap. Wind is renewable, has no imports and has less air emissions

Front 32

Name two indoor air pollutants and explain how they impact human health.

Back 32

-Lead (child mental retardation)
-CO (interferes with Oxygen transport in humans)

Front 33

Why is the sky blue?

Back 33

Scattering of sunlight on atmospheric gases. Blue is scattered more hence the sky appears blue as scattering occurs in all directions.

Front 34

Why is the sunset red?

Back 34

All blue light is scattered out of the way and a red color is left

Front 35

Why are clouds white?

Back 35

White light is scattered indiscriminately

Front 36

What is the photochemical (LA type) smog? What are the main ingredients? What are the main components responsible for the health effects and why are they having health effects?

Back 36

-Mixture of oxidizing pollutants including ozone and radicals.
-Main ingredients are hydrocarbons, Nitrous oxides and sunlight.
- The main health effects are due to the oxidizing properties and hence damage to biological membranes

Front 37

Why are CFCs more efficient greenhouse gases than CO2?

Back 37

-Most of the infrared radiation emitted from the earth's surface is absorbed by CO2 and water vapor in the atmosphere bringing these absorption bands close to saturation.
- CFCs absorb in the atmospheric window
-CFCs are stable in the atmosphere and have longer lifetimes than CO2

Front 38

What are the three things that a catalytic converter in a car does?

Back 38

-Convert hydrocarbons into CO2 and H2O
- Oxidizes CO to CO2
- Reduces NOx into nitrogen

Front 39

Describe two effects of an oilspill on animals/biosphere. Describe the major fate of oil in an oil spill.

Back 39

Effects: Hydrocarbons damage biological membranes. Birds are unable to fly and escape predators
Major Fate: Biodegradation, evaporation

Front 40

Why can solar energy not be converted at 100% efficiency into electricity in photovoltaic cells?

Back 40

-The transformation of energy is limited to 1 electron per photon no matter the energy of the photon in the higher energy spectrum of light
- The energy of photons is not sufficient to promote an electron in the conduction band on the lower end of the solar spectrum

Front 41

How could global warming impact ozone depletion?

Back 41

Global warming can lead to colder temperatures in the stratosphere hence increased potential for formation of polar stratospheric clouds

Front 42

Give two examples of potential climate engineering solutions to global warming.

Back 42

Make clouds, put shade in space

Front 43

Give two examples of moral, ethical or scientific concerns to a geo engineering approach.

Back 43

Likely to mess with hydrological cycle and debates over what the temperature will be