Questions tagged [atmospheric-chemistry]

Chemical reactions that occur in the atmosphere of Earth and other planets. Relevant reactions include both those that take place only in the gas-phase, in the solid or liquid phases of aerosols or any reactions between the phases as well as the thermodynamics of the phase changes that take place in the atmosphere.

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Why don't heavy and light gases separate in the atmosphere?

Everyone must have heard that balloons are filled with helium, and the fact associated with it that helium gas is light and light gases always go upward. There comes a question to mind: if the molar ...
Vidyanshu Mishra's user avatar
48 votes
3 answers
5k views

What happens to a radioactive carbon dioxide molecule when its carbon-14 atom decays?

When carbon-14 decays, the decay products are nitrogen-14 and an electron (and an electron antineutrino, but that's chemically irrelevant*): $$\ce{^14_6C -> ^14_7N + e- + \overline{v_e}}$$ Let's ...
Marcel's user avatar
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17 votes
2 answers
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Why does free chlorine in the stratosphere lose its ozone-depleting potential after about 100,000 reactions?

Free chlorine ($\ce{Cl}$) in the stratosphere can deplete ozone ($\ce{O3}$) as follows: $$\ce{Cl + O3 -> ClO + O2}$$ The chlorine atoms can then react with oxygen and return to the beginning of ...
wchargin's user avatar
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29 votes
3 answers
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Why don't gases escape Earth's atmosphere?

Some gases are lighter than others and rise. Why don't they continue going up, leave the atmosphere, and then enter outer space?
S. GOLIZADEH's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
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What causes methane to have 25 times higher global warming potential than CO2

What causes methane to have 25 times higher global warming potential than $\ce{CO2}$? I think it has to do with $\ce{CH4}$ being a less massive molecule, but I'm not sure.
Spongebob Squareroot-pants's user avatar
32 votes
4 answers
6k views

How much CO2 could you remove from the atmosphere with 2 trillion USD?

I know it's possible to capture $\ce{CO2}$ with various chemical reactions. For example NASA's space shuttle had some kind of regenerative $\ce{CO2}$ scrubber. But how expensive is it? Could a huge ...
Rob N's user avatar
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28 votes
3 answers
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What properties of carbon dioxide make it a greenhouse gas?

Why is it that heat from the Earth reflects back off carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases but not gases like nitrogen or oxygen?
Charlie's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
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Aurora borealis - less favored energy transitions higher in atmosphere?

This question describes how some energy transitions become more prominent as you higher in the atmosphere. Short summary: Some electron transitions are "forbidden" by quantum mechanical selection ...
Adroit's user avatar
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3 answers
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Effects of atmospheric gases on colour of aurora

Recently I moved to the north of Norway, so I've seen quite a few auroras. Because the colour is mainly green, I was sure this must be due to electron transitions in $\ce{N2}$ (because the atmosphere ...
Adroit's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
372 views

Curious about the chemistry of Carbon-14 after it's produced in the atmosphere

It's often explained how $\ce{^14C}$ is formed in the upper atmosphere, a neutron hits a nitrogen atom and ejects a proton. Source. Since this is likely to happen to an $\ce{N2}$, I'm curious what ...
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Determining the rate of stratospheric ozone destruction

I am a sophomore. A friend and I ran across a kinetic chemistry exercise. We solved it in a slightly different way and we can't come to an agreement on who is right. We would appreciate some help: ...
Amon's user avatar
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1 answer
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How does Dichlorofluoromethane get into the stratosphere?

I was wondering why FCKWs can destroy the ozone layer. It seems like these gases have a high molecular weight in comparison to $\ce{N2}$ or $\ce{O2}$. How can these gasses come up to the outer layer ...
dgrat's user avatar
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1 answer
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Ozone-Air Paradox [duplicate]

One day, I decided to calculate the density of air, so I searched for the individual densities of the 3 main elements that forms breathable air. I found the following data, at $\pu{0^\circ C}$ and $\...
Cury's user avatar
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how to modify a transport device with an internal combustion engine with different atmospheres [closed]

How to modify a transport device with an internal combustion engine with: the methane-nitrogen atmosphere carbon dioxide atmosphere the atmosphere of argon and chlorine. Which substances will ...
Gulzhan  Aldan's user avatar