10.3 Air quality and climate
- Syllabus
- 0620–2026–2027
- Topic
- 10.3
- Level
- —
10.3.1—Composition of clean, dry air as
- State the composition of clean, dry air as approximately 78% nitrogen, N2, 21% oxygen, O2 and the remainder as a mixture of noble gases and carbon dioxide, CO2
10.3.2—Air pollutant sources: CO2 from
- State air pollutant sources: CO2 from complete combustion; CO/particulates from incomplete combustion; methane from decomposing vegetation and animal digestion; nitrogen oxides from car engines; sulfur dioxide from sulfur-containing fossil fuels
10.3.3—Pollutant effects: CO2 and methane
- State pollutant effects: CO2 and methane increase global warming/climate change; CO is toxic; particulates increase respiratory/cancer risk; nitrogen oxides cause acid rain, photochemical smog and respiratory problems; sulfur dioxide causes acid rain
10.3.7—Greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and
- Describe how the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane cause global warming, (a) the absorption, reflection and emission of thermal energy (b) reducing thermal energy loss to space
10.3.4—Reduction strategies: for climate
- Explain reduction strategies: for climate change, plant trees, reduce livestock, use less fossil fuel, increase hydrogen/renewables; for acid rain, use catalytic converters, low-sulfur fuels and flue gas desulfurisation with calcium oxide
10.3.5—Photosynthesis as the reaction between
- Describe photosynthesis as the reaction between carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and oxygen in the presence of chlorophyll and using energy from light
10.3.6—Word equation for photosynthesis
- State the word equation for photosynthesis, carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
10.3.8—How oxides of nitrogen form in car
- Explain how oxides of nitrogen form in car engines and describe their removal by catalytic converters, e.g. 2CO + 2NO → 2CO2 + N2
10.3.9—Symbol equation for photosynthesis
- State the symbol equation for photosynthesis, 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Objective notes
9 learning objectivesConceptIGCSE Chemistry