Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Environmental Chemistry
Chapter 12 - Chemistry of Earth
45
Chemistry
Undergraduate 1
04/10/2010

Additional Chemistry Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What is the structure of the earth?
Definition
Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
Term
What is the approximate depth of each layer in the earth?
Definition

Core: ~1800-1400mi

Mantle: ~22-1800mi

Crust: ~0-22mi

Term
What are the physical characteristiscs of each layer in the earth?
Definition

Inner core is solid (higher temp but also higher pressure)

 

Outer core is liquid

 

Core is 80% iron with nickel and other trace elements

Term
What happened to dense metals during earth's formation?
Definition
they sank to the middle of the earth
Term
Which layer comprises the majority of earth's volume and what is it composed of?
Definition

the mantle

 

silicate rocks containing Mg and Fe

Term
Is the mantle solid or plasitc?
Definition
plastic - slight flow which leads to isostacy which leads to plate techtonics
Term
Which layer do we extract resources from?
Definition
The crust (or lithosphere but they're two different things... our prof should know that but for the sake of this class pretend they're the same for the test)
Term
The crust comprises what percent of the earth's volume?
Definition
<1%
Term
What is the continental and oceanic crust made of?
Definition

Mostly silica and alumina (sial) (continental)

 

silica and magnesium (sima) (oceanic)

 

 

Term
What are the percentages of O, Si, and Al in the earth's crust?
Definition

O - 49.2%

Si - 25.7%

Al - 7.50%

Term
What does a basic silicate tetrahedral unit look like?
Definition
one silica bonded to four oxygens (looks like a pyramid)
Term
What are two forms in which silicates can exist?
Definition
single silicate ions or crystalline solids
Term
What is asbestos formed from?
Definition
silicates
Term
Why is asbestos dangerous?
Definition
it forms long needle-like crystals around PM 10 that can be inhaled into lungs
Term
How does asbestos lead to mesathelioma and asbestosis?
Definition

Asbestosis: the asbestos fibers are inhaled and reduce lung function due to the build up of connective tissue in the lungs (auto-immune response)

 

Mesathelioma: a cancer of the mesothelium (the lining of many internal organs)

Term
What does asbestos refer to?
Definition
a few compounds that have similar structures and excellent thermal insulating and fire resistant properties
Term
What are ceramics?
Definition
crystalline materials prepared by heating and cooling
Term
What do the properties of ceramics depend on?
Definition
composition, clay based ceramic based on aluminum silicates
Term
Why is heating essential to the production of ceramics?
Definition
Heating decreases pores, resulting in dense, brittle material with good heat resistance, hardness, and strength
Term
What is glass?
Definition

an amorphous solid

 

not a crystal lattice!!

Term
Why is it possible to shape glass?
Definition
it can be shaped as heated weaker bonds break but it cools quickly and strong bonds stay intact
Term
What are the components and approximate percentages these components in window glass?
Definition
75% SiO2, 15% Na2O(soda), 10% CaO(lime)
Term
What are the components and properties of borosilicate glass?
Definition

aka Pyrex

 

same construction as window glass but substitute B2O3 for CaO

 

can add cations like cobalt to color the glass

 

may incorporate polymer fibers

Term
How energy-expensive is glass and how can we reduce the cost?
Definition

glass is energy intensive but we can recycle it easily

 

cullet is broken glass

Term
What is the respective composition of cement and concrete and what is the difference between cement and concrete?
Definition

cement is a substance that binds other materials together made from lime (CaO) with a small amount of clay

 

concrete is a construction material made of a coarse aggregate of crushed rocks mixed with water and a fine aggregate such as sand

Term
How is cement produced and what is the environmental impact of cement?
Definition

it is produced by crushing limestone, clay and coal burning

 

cement plants have been accused of violating the clean air act b/c some of the particulate matter gets into the atmosphere and acts as a pollutant

Term
How was bronze first produced and what are the characteristics of bronze?
Definition

bronze is a copper-tin alloy with about 90% of copper

 

copper ores are easy to find due to distinct colors (blue/green)

 

bronze is a hard alloy that resists corrosion, making it very useful for tools and weapons

 

it was first produced ~3500 BC by mixing copper ores and tin together

 

Cu2S(s) + O2(g) --> 2Cu(s) + SO2(g)

CuO(s) + CO(g) --> Cu(s) + CO2(g)

SnO2(s) + CO(g) --> 2Sn(s) + 2CO2(g)

Term
What is an alloy and what is the advantage of using an alloy?
Definition

alloys are mixtures of elements with at least one metal

 

alloys are helpful because they form new materials that are useful for different tasks and are often very strong/hard

Term
How do you extract metals from ores?
Definition

there are three ways: heating in air/with a reducing agent (like coke or carbon monoxide), processing the metals with electricity, or dissolving the reactants in water in order to treat the metal

 

heating is the most common and oldest way

Term
what is the chemistry for reducing from coke?
Definition

at high temperatures at the bottom of the furnace, carbon dioxide reacts with carbon to produce carbon monoxide

C + CO2 --> 2CO

it is this carbon monoxide which is the main reducing agent in the furnace

Fe2O3 + 3CO --> 2Fe + 3CO2

in the hotter parts of the furnace, the carbon itself also acts as a reducing agent. notice that at these temperatures, the other product of the reaction is carbon monoxide, not carbon dioxide

Fe2O3 + 3C --> 2Fe + 3CO

the temperature of the furnace is hot enough to melt the iron which trickles down to the bottom where it can be tapped off

Term
Can alluminum be reduced from coke?
Definition
No because it is higher than carbon on the activity series
Term
How is iron extracted from ore and how is it applied?
Definition

iron is produced with a blast furnace

 

you burn coke and use limestone to remove silicate impurities (forms molten slag that floats on iron)

 

product is moletn iron that has impurities, but can be formed easily (pig iron, cast iron)

 

iron is  used in steel and accounts for 95% of metal production due to this use

 

steel strength, hardness increases as one adds carbon

 

over 2% carbon and steel becomes brittle

Term
What are some additives to steel alloys and their applications?
Definition

tungsten increses melting point

nickel and chromium reduce corrosion (stainless steel)

vanadium increses strength (tools)

Term
How does a blast furnace work?
Definition

iron ore, coke and limestone are put into the top

 

the furnace is steel lined with heat resistant brick

 

it is 400ºC at the top and 1800ºC at the bottom

 

the area at teh bottom is where hot air is blasted

 

the ore melts in this hot chamber and falls through to the bottom where it is separated into molten slag and molten iron. there are 2 tap holes at this bottom chamber so that the molten slag and the molten iron can be taken out separately

Term
How do you predict whether a reaction will happen based on the activity series?
Definition

a more active element displaces a less active element from its compounds

 

the higher up you go, the more reactive, an element will reduce/react with metals below it

Term
How is aluminum reduced from ore? Does this process take more or less energy than the process used for,say, iron ore?
Definition

by electrolosis

 

this requires significantly more energy than iron but the energy cost is mitigated by lighter products being more efficient

 

 

Term
What are the 5 main heavy metals that are toxic to the environment and why are they toxic?
Definition

Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, and As

 

not very toxic as condensed free elements, but their cations are very toxic and tend to bind sulfurs in protiens

Term
What are the applications of Hg? Where is it found in the environment?
Definition

used in electrical switches, amalgam fillings, and preservatives like thimerosal

 

it is harmful because of bio-accumulation, it accumulates in food chains and the higher up in the food chain you go, the more is present

Term
What are the applications of Pb and where is it found in the environment?
Definition

it was used as a structural metal in ancient rome up to recent times in anything from shot, solder on food tins and water pipes, leaded gasoline, and lead oxide (yellow) glaze on dinnerware

 

 

found in the water?

 

Term
What are the applications of Cadmium and where is it found in the environment?
Definition

it's a product of zinc smelting, present in nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries, and pigments (Cd-yellow)

 

a lethal dose is 1g

 

most contamination incidents due to leakage from mining operations (so maybe contaminates water?)

Term
What are applications of arsenic?
Definition

pesticides

 

groundwater is a major source of contamination for most people caused from leakages from mining operations

 

similar to phosphorous, found together in nature

 

released due to coal burning, and metal smelting operations

Term
what are the applications of chromium?
Definition

used in electroplating, steel alloys, and leather tanning

 

groundwater contamination = source for most people

 

Erin Brockovitch...case against Pacific Gas and Electric for contaminating groundwater with Cr(VI) in Hinkley, CA

Term
Where does most metal come from and why?
Definition
most metal comes from developing nations because the metal resources have been depleted in the industrialized world and because developing nations have less environmental protection restrictions on mining
Term
How much ore do high value metals require for extraction?
Definition

tons

 

gold may yeild less than an ounce per ton of gold ore and is extracted with toxic cyanide

Term
What percent of bottles and cans are recycled in the US?
Definition

over 50%

 

recycling and reusing are important but will be difficult to maintain production levels indefinitely due to ever increasing population

Supporting users have an ad free experience!