ALL ABOUT:

Ideal Gases / Acid Rain

and the Greenhouse Effect

A resource guide for

teachers and students

By Michelle Krell
3787549

1
 CONTENTS

ALL ABOUT IDEAL GASES

WHAT ARE GASES? PAGE 3
THE ATMOSPHERE PAGE 5
HOT AND COLD GASES PAGE 6
IDEAL GAS PAGE 7
IDEAL GAS EQUATION PAGE 8
PV= nRT EXAMPLE PAGE 9
PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS PAGE 10
ALL ABOUT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT PAGE 11
CONSEQUENCES PAGE 12
GREENHOUSE EFFECT IN A PICTURE PAGE 13
ALL ABOUT ACID RAIN
ACID AND BASES PAGE 14
PH SCALE PAGE 15
ACID RAIN PAGE 16
EXPERIMENTS
1 THE ACID TEST PAGE 17
2 BURNING AND BREATHING PAGE 19
3 MAKING ACID RAIN PAGE 20
4 GREENHOUSE EFFECT IN JAR PAGE 23
ACTIVITIES (word search, word scramble etc) PAGE 24-26
ACTIVITY ANSWERS PAGE 27
GLOSSARY PAGE 28-29
REFERENCES PAGE 30

2
ALL ABOUT IDEAL GASES
What are gases?

Have you ever wondered what everything in the world is made from? The answer is matter.
Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.

There are millions of different things in the world, but only three different forms of matter.
These are solids, liquids and gases. Solids like stone and wood are hard and stay the same
shape. Liquids like water and petrol can flow from place to place. But gases are different.

The air around us is a mixture of gases. Like most gases, you cannot see of smell the ones in
the air and it is difficult to make them stay in one place. You can place a solid or a liquid in a
cup or beaker and it will stay there. But gases must be kept in closed containers or they will
escape.

There are many different kinds of gas, some of which are very useful. Oxygen is a VERY
important gas. It helps human and animals stay alive, and fires to burn. Some gases come
from under the ground; these are used as fuels and are burned for heating and cooking.

Gases are also used in factories to make other useful substances such as plastics, bleach and
medicines. They are used in the manufacture of fertilizers, explosives and dyes.

If you go outside when it is a windy day, you can feel the wind tugging at your body, hair
and clothes. You can see the trees and flowers bending and the clouds racing across the sky.
What is doing all the pushing and shoving? The answer is AIR.

About 1/5 of the Air is

oxygen. We, as human
being would not be able to
survive without oxygen.
When we breathe, our
lungs take the oxygen we
need from the air. Another
very important gas in air is
carbon dioxide. When we breathe out, we release
carbon dioxide into the air. In daylight, plants take in
the carbon dioxide they need to live and grow. Plants
then give off oxygen back into the air.

It is a never ending cycle!!

3
There are four main gases in the air- nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide
and can be used in many different ways:

Nitrogen
- Our bodies need special food substances, called proteins for
growth, energy and to replace body cells. Proteins are partly made
up from atoms of Nitrogen.
- We can’t use Nitrogen directly from the air. Instead we take it in
from plants which have absorbed it from the soil, or from meat of animals that
have eaten the plants.

Oxygen
- Oxygen is used with other gases to melt and join metals- this is
called ‘welding’
- Liquid oxygen and Liquid nitrogen are mixed together to make
rocket fuel
- Deep-sea divers, astronauts and mountaineers breathe in a
mixture of oxygen and other gases from special air tanks they
carry with them
- Oxygen is also used in hospitals, when patients have breathing problems they
can breathe from oxygen tanks or be kept in an oxygen tent.

Argon
- It is used as a gas to make some electric light bulbs shine
- Helps during welding to prevent certain metals from catching fire

Carbon Dioxide
- Used in fizzy drinks and fire extinguishers.
- Carbon Dioxide in its solid form is known as ‘dry ice’

4
The Atmosphere

The atmosphere is approximately 160 kilometres deep, and this is where we live. We can
only survive here. This is because there is less air to breathe the further you travel up and
away from Earth’s surface. The Earth is wrapped in layers of gases.

The atmosphere becomes thinner as its height about the Earth increases. In the
lowest band, the troposphere, are all the gases needed by living things on Earth.
This region is where all the weather takes place- it is the region of rising and
falling packets of air.

In the stratosphere is where the ozone layer can be found. This is a thin layer of
gas that is formed from the change of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere
of this part. The ozone layer covers the Earth and blocks most of the Sun’s
ultraviolet rays thus preventing them from reaching the Earth.

The stratosphere is about 35kilometers thick and the temperature rises steadily as
you pass through. But at the top, the temperature is only minus 2degrees Celsius.
After the stratosphere is the Mesosphere. It literally means ‘middle sphere’. It is
here in this layer, that meteors are destroyed. This layer burns them as they enter

5
the Earths layers. The meteors collide with the gas particles in the mesosphere
and burn.

And eventually we get to the ionosphere. It is a thin band of gases and where the
aurora takes place. It is responsible for absorbing the most energetic photons
from the Sun, it reflects radio waves and that is why making long-distance radio
communication is possible.

Heavier gases such as nitrogen stay close to Earth, so above 100 kilometers you
will find the lighter gases, such as helium and hydrogen. This makes complete
sense because Heavy things tend to fall while Light things will rise, gas is no
different. This is where the temperature of Air is similar. Heat rises and cool
falls, so Hot air rises, and is found high in the air, and Cool air falls and is found
close to Earth.

Hot and Cold Gases

We see water as a liquid. When it is very cold, it is a solid known as ice. When it
is heated it becomes a gas. Another way to change the state of a substance is to
change the force pressing down on it (known as pressure). All gases are made up
of tiny particles called atoms. A Group of atoms are known as molecules.

When gas is heated, its molecules move about faster,

bouncing off one another (like when playing ‘hot
potato’). As the molecules become scattered, the gas
takes up more space. Therefore it expands and becomes
less dense.
When gas is cooled, the molecules all squish together to
keep warm, the gas therefore takes up less space and
contracts.

Example
When we use a bike pump to pump our bike tyres with air we need to
- Pull back the pump handle (in order to get air in between the pump
and the tyre), then we need to push the pump handle, this then
compresses the air into a small space. The pressure goes up and air is
forced into the tyre. Therefore when we Decrease the Volume, this
results in Increased pressure (see Boyle’s Law).
6
Important information of Gases!
- Gases exert pressure
- A gas will fill whatever container that it’s in
- Gas can be measured in many units e.g. Kilopascals (kPa), atmospheres (atm)
and millimeters of Mercury (mmHg)
- Gases are composed of molecules. These move randomly, in straight lines, in
all directions and at various speeds.
Diffusion and Effusion are two ways that gases mix with other gases.
- Effusion occurs when a gas moves through a small hole in its current container
into another container.
- Diffusion is a the gradual mixing process of the molecules of different gases

There are four important rules associated with Gases. They are as follows-
1. Increasing Temperature = Increasing Pressure
2. Increasing Volume = Increasing Temperature Known as Charles’s Law
3. Decreasing Volume = Increasing Pressure Known as Boyle’s Law
4. Increase Volume = Increase Mole Number (number of mole) Known as
Avogadro's Law

Ideal Gas
Not all gases are Ideal; to be an Ideal Gas the following assumptions must be
valid.
1) The space the gas molecules occupy is not important when compared with
the space in between the gas molecules
2) Intermolecular forces between gas molecules are unimportant

When is a gas NOT an ideal gas?

In general this occurs in two situations
1) Extremely high pressures
2) Extremely low temperatures

At extremely high pressures, the first assumption of ideal gases doesn’t apply. If
you pack gases under high pressure, the space between becomes smaller.
Therefore you can no longer ignore them, because they are taking up much more
space.

7
At extremely low temperatures, gases tend to move relatively slower. So slow
they can no longer zip past each other and not feel anything. They feel each other
and therefore assumption two doesn’t apply.

What is the gas called when it isn’t ideal?

A gas that isn’t ideal is known as REAL Gas. These gases cannot be explained
using the ideal gas law and equation.

Ideal Gas Equation

It is clear enough that the pressure of a gas will depend on:
1) How much gas there is
2) The volume the gas us confined to
3) The temperature
It has been found by experiments that, provided the pressure or temperature isn’t
too high you can apply this equation-
PV=nRT
Where P= Pressure (atm) R= is a proportionality constant
V= Volume (L) known as the gas constant (0.08206)
n= the number of moles in the gas T= temperature [must be in Kelvin
present (k), therefore convert °C to K by +
273]

To find ‘n’ you must use this equation n= M/Mr

Where n=number of moles M= Mole Mr= Molecular mass
You find these using your periodic table.
This example will help-

PV= nRT EXAMPLE

Question

8
You have a bottle of coke. It’s empty though you place 15g of O2 gas into it. Tell
me the pressure at 25° and then at 100°. The bottle has a volume of 1.25L.

The rules to be used are:

PV=nRT and n=M/Mr
First we right out what information we have.
Pressure- ?
Volume- 1.25L
n- ?
R- Constant= 0.08206
Temperature- 25° (25+273= 298°K)

We must work out n using the equation.

n=M/Mr
Mass= 15g (because it is given in the question)
Mr= (16+16) = 32g/mole

∴ n= 15/32 = 0.468mole
Before we can plug n into the equation we must rearrange it so P is by itself.
PV=nRT To get P by itself, we move V to the otherside

P= nRT/V
P= (0.468) x (0.08206) x (298)/1.25
P=9.15atm
Then you do the same, but substitute 100°C (100+273=373°K) where 25° was
used.

Answer will be P=11.46atm

9
10
ALL ABOUT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Most of the short-wavelengths from the Sun are absorbed by the outer
atmosphere and doesn’t reach the Earth’s surface. The radiation that does reach
the Earth contributes to maintaining a livable temperature here on Earth.

Certain gases within the Troposphere play a very important role in this balance
as they absorb infrared radiation emitted from the warm surface of Earth, rather
than letting the radiation go out to space.

Two gases that absorb infrared radiation are carbon dioxide and methane and
these are found in low concentrations of the Troposphere. These concentrations
have increased steadily since the industrial revolution. This is because from the
industrial revolution came increased burning of fossil fuels for energy sources.

The Greenhouse Effect:

During the day the Earth absorbs heat from the sun, much is radiated back into
space. But the atmosphere surrounding the Earth acts as a blanket and contains
some of these gases, keeping some heat in. If there wasn’t an atmospheric
‘blanket’ we would freeze during the night, like some of the planets in our solar
system and our moon.

The name ‘greenhouse’ comes from the

structure that gardeners use to grow
vegetables in. It is a garden covered in clear
plastic or glass to let sunlight in but the glass
also traps the heat inside, increasing the
temperature

The fossil fuels we burn in ever-increasing amounts (coal, oil, natural gas,
cutting down and/or burning trees etc), contribute to higher concentrations of
methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous dioxide, effectively turning the heat up and
turning the globe into a greenhouse.

11
Consequences of the Greenhouse Effect
- Weather
Due to the rise in the winter and summer temperatures, the
weather will become very hot. It may rain more in winters
and summers may become extremely hot. In other parts of
the world the effect may be completely opposite. Storms,
floods and droughts are to be expected consequences
which may affect different areas of the world

- Sea Levels
An increase in temperature means the melting of
glaciers. This will then increase the water levels in seas
and oceans of up to 20-40cm all over the world. People
living in coastal areas near the water are at risk of
flooding. As a result, millions of people may need to
leave their homes and relocate

- Farming
Changes in weather may also affect the amount of rainfall in
different parts of the world. Hence, this will affect crop growth
throughout the world,

- Plants and Animals

Due to these weather and temperature changes, many
plants and animals will not be able to cope and will
eventually die. Natural habitats of animals may be
affected therefore they may need to search for new homes.
Some species may become extinct

- People
Weather changes bring unwanted changes to our lifestyle. The consequences of
these variations on humans depend on how well we adapt and how much we can
do to try and minimize them.

12
The Greenhouse Effect: in picture form

13
ALL ABOUT ACID RAIN
Acids-
Some acids are natural, like citric acid found in
lemons, and some have to be manufactured, like
sulfuric acid found in car batteries. Even thought one
is natural and one is manufactured, they both share the
following properties:
- They are corrosive, meaning they react with solids
and eat them away. For example- battery acid will
burn your skin and hydrochloric acid cleans grout
from bricks
- They usually have a sour taste. E.g. Lemon juice
tastes sour because it contains citric acid; vinegar
tastes sour because it contains acetic acid
- Acids that have been mixed with water are said to be ‘diluted acids’
- Acids that have not been mixed with water are ‘concentrated acids’ and are
extremely dangerous

Bases-
When a base is added to an acid, a chemical reaction
occurs. The properties of the acid are neutralized by
the base. This goes to show that in a sense, bases are
opposite to acids, and like acids, Bases have the
following properties in common:
- Bases feel slippery as a result of a chemical reaction
between the base and natural oils in the skin
- They may be corrosive which is why some bases are
used in cleaning products
- Bases usually have a bitter taste
- They do not usually dissolve in water (those that do are called alkalis)

14
pH Scale
- A pH Scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is
- Acidic and basic are two extremes.
- Mixing Acids and Bases cancel each other out, or neutralize their effects.
- A substance that is neither acidic nor basic is known and neutral
- The pH scale ranges from 0-14
- A pH > 7 (greater than) = Basic
- A pH of 7 = Neutral
- A pH <7 (less than) = Acidic

Pure water is Neutral. But when chemicals are mixed in the water the mixture
can become either acidic or basic.

Vinegar and Lemon Juice = Acidic Substances

Milk of magnesia and Ammonia = Basic Substances
Here is a diagram to help you understand the pH Scale:

15
Acid Rain
Acid rain is a major environmental problem throughout the industrialized world.
It results largely from the burning of fossil fuels (which are natural fuels- such as
coal or gas), these fossil fuels contain Sulfur and Nitrogen.

The gases that are released into the air dissolve in water and forms Sulfuric acid
and Nitric acid. This acid is formed in clouds and falls as Acid Rain, Hail and
sometimes Snow.

The effects that Acid Rain has on Earth are awful, however the reason it occurs
in the first place is mainly due to man. It is caused by factories, engine
emissions, the burning of coal and fossil fuels.

When we observe Acid Rain, its acidity is measured in pH. Acid Rain measures
on the pH scale 5-6.

If we cut down in our emissions we can reduce the following from happening:
- Acidity in lakes, streams and hurting aquatic animals- Acid rain flows into
streams, lakes and marshes after falling on forests, fields, buildings and roads
and can directly fall on aquatic animals. Lakes and streams become acidic; the
soil cannot buffer the acid rain enough to neutralize it. Therefore it becomes
highly toxic to many species including aquatic animals.
- Acid affecting sculptures and buildings
- Kill plant life
- Have a negative effect on Humans- by causing breathing and lung difficulties,
even premature death from heart and lung disorders such as asthma and
bronchitis

16
 EXPERIMENTS
EXPERIMENT 1

THE ACID TEST

Make a chemical indicator (otherwise known as Litmus Paper)

Materials
Red cabbage 3-5 strips of paper (used as Litmus Paper) 3-5 jars/containers
A bowl Lemon, Vinegar and Soap Strainer
Pegs Place to hang the Litmus paper to dry Adult supervision

Instructions
1. Take a red cabbage, tear it into shreds and place these shreds into a bowl

2. Pour hot water into the bowl. Strain the liquid- the cabbage colour dissolves to make
an indicator.

3. Blot paper in the liquid. This is known as Litmus Paper. Hang up to dry

4. Get 3 containers and fill them with vinegar, soap and lemon juice.

5. Dip one strip of Litmus Paper into the 3 different containers. Make note of which one
goes into which container.

6. Does the Litmus Paper’s change colour? Take note of these and compare to the pH
scale provided

Observations
Why does the Litmus paper change colour?
A chemical that changes colour in acids and alkalis is called an indicator. Red cabbage juice
turns red when in acids like vinegar or lemon juice. It also turns green when in alkalis, like
soap.

17
FURTHER EXPERIMENT

INVISIBLE INK

Materials
Lemon Container/Jar Sheet of white paper
Paintbrush Oven or hand-held hair dryer- or light bulb or a candle
Adult supervision

Instructions
1. Squeeze some lemon juice into a container/ jar

2. Dip a paintbrush into the juice and draw your picture or a message onto the white
paper. Let the paper dry completely

3. Ask an adult to place the paper in the oven for a few minutes, alternatively dry the
paper with a hand-held hair dryer, place the paper over a light bulb or a candle (as
long as there is heat applied, the ink will reappear).

4. The picture or message you drew on the paper will reappear.

Observations
The picture will reappear on the paper, but how?

When the lemon juice is heated, water evaporates away. The compounds that remain
combine with oxygen in the air. This turns the juice brown and makes the picture visible.

18
EXPERIMENT 2

Burning and Breathing

Materials
Candle Lighter Jug Water
Jar (big enough to fit over the candle) 4 coins
Food colouring Blu- Tack
Small shallow dish

Instructions
1. Use blu-tack to stand the candle upright in the middle of a shallow dish

2. Place 4 coins around the candle so that the jar can sit over the candle

3. Fill a jug with water, and add a few drops of food colouring to the water. Fill the dish
with the water.

4. Light the candle and lower the jar over it. Watch the water level in the jar rise as the
candle goes out.

Observations
How and why does the candle go out?

The burning candle flame uses up the particles of oxygen. Water is sucked up into the jar to
replace the used oxygen. The water should rise about one fifth of the jar. The burning stops
when all the oxygen in the jar has been used up.

FURTHER EXPERIMENT

Compare how long similar candles burn when different shaped jars are placed over them.
The longer they burn the more oxygen is present!!

19
EXPERIMENT 3

Making Acid Rain

Materials
- Red Cabbage - Tripod with gauze mat
- Snap-lock Plastic Bag - Rain making ceiling (made from
- 30ml Ethyl Alcohol one piece of thin plastic with
- Filter Paper extrusions & wood
- PVA Shavings - Beaker filled with water
- Dry area to hang paper - Bunsen burner
- Pegs to hang paper - Matches
- Tank

Instructions
Step 1 Making Litmus paper
1. Shred the red cabbage leaves
2. Place leaves into snap-lock bag and add 30ml of Ethyl Alcohol. They will
begin to lose their purple colour.
3. Add the filter paper, once the paper has taken on the colour, hang it up to dry
for 5minutes.
4. Repeat #3 3times to ensure the paper is saturated in the cabbages purple
colour.
Step 2 Making Acid Rain
1. A tank has been prepared for you already. With a tripod in the middle that
has a gauze mat for you to place your Litmus paper on.
2. Take some flakes of PVA and place on top of some tin on one side of the
tripod.
3. There also is a ‘rain making ceiling’, made up of one piece of tin, plastic
that has extrusions and some wood. Outside the tank is a second tripod that
has a beaker filled with 100ml of water. Place the Bunsen burner
underneath the beaker, to heat the water to vapour of which will be directed
into the tank where the PVA will be burnt.
4. To set everything in motion, you’ll need to place ice pieces into the plastic
part of the ceiling, the ice acts as a coolant and will allow condensation to
take place within the tank.
20
 5. Once everything is in place and fitted, you can begin to boil the water
outside the tank. Light a match and ignite the ‘acid rain source’ being the
PVA shavings.
6. It is necessary to ensure the shavings are completely burns within a minute,
therefore it is important not to add too much to the tank.
7. Once the PVA has burnt, gently tap the plastic section of the ceiling. Drops
will fall down onto the Litmus Paper.

Observations
Do you see any colour change on the Litmus Paper? Compare this to the pH
scale and you can see how much acid you made.

An example of the tank

used to make Acid Rain →

21
FURTHER EXPERIMENT
ACID RAIN EFFECT ON PLANTS
You will need:

- 3 jars with - 3 growing

Lids bean plans in
- Masking tape small cups, or
- Marking pen separate
- Lemon juice planting
- Water containers
- Tablespoon

1) Put a strip of tape on each jar or bean plan container. Mark them A, B and C
2) Next label the three jars with masking tape A, B and C
3) Add ½ cup of Lemon Juice to Jar A
4) Add ¼ cup Lemon Juice to Jar B
5) But don’t put Lemon Juice in Jar C
6) Add ½ cup of water to each jar (A, B, C)
7) Place the growing bean plants in their containers in a sunny windowsill or
outside in a mostly sunny place.
8) Water each plant again with their ‘solution’ (A= ½ cup of Lemon Juice B=
¼ cup of Lemon Juice and C= ½ cup of water).

What happens?
- Plant A will show the effects of acid rain first. The leaves will begin to
shrivel and curl. It’s growth slow down or stops.
- Plant B will start to show the effects of acid rain as well but at a slower pace
as it didn’t receive as much acid as plant A.
- Plant C will remain healthy because it received no acid rain.

Why does this happen?

The pollutants gather in dense clouds and fall back to earth when it rains. These
pollutants are acidic like lemon juice. They build up in soil and effect the
growth of plant like. The more acidic the rain (like solution A) the sooner the
plant is effected. Overtime, plants will die and new plants will not be able to
grow!!
22
EXPERIMENT 4

Greenhouse Effect in a Jar

Materials
2 large bowls per student or group 1 clock
2 thermometers per student or group Sunlamp or access to sunny area

Instructions
1. Line both bowls with dark cloth or paper
2. Place the bowls in the sun and put an inverted paper cup in the bowl (upside
down)
3. Lay the thermometer across the top of the cup in both bowls
4. Note the starting temperature of both bowls
5. Cover one of the bowls with a lid (make sure it’s clear, so you can record the
temperature) or clear plastic wrap
6. Take down the temperatures of both bowls- one being covered and one not,
every minute for 10 minutes- Use the table provided:

Temperature Bowl 1 (Covered) Bowl 2 (uncovered)

Start Temp
1 min
2 mins
3 mins
4 mins
5 mins
6 mins
7 mins
8 mins
9 mins
10 mins

Observations
The covered bowl will become much hotter than the uncovered bowl, due to the
sunlight being absorbed and bouncing within the bowl but not being able to get
out (due to the lid). Thus the Greenhouse Effect!!
23
 ACTIVITIES

ACID AND BASE WORD SCRAMBLE

1. csdia _____
2. bsae ____
3. lecsahp _______
4. lpuurelisbapetm ____ ______ _____
5. raeunlt _______
6. neuserbesrv ___________
7. ebrtti _______
8. ntadrioic _________
9. sprtono _______
10.neloecjuim __________
11.oncoiatenncrt _____________
12.sruo ____
13.ceecaaebribdjug _______________
14.siordidoxneyh _____________
15.raepewrtu _________
16.ekalrudppr __________
17.ciagrdntos __________
18.wdkicaea ________
19.lttwseaar _________
20.iaotrnnaueitlz ______________
21.rde ___
22.udiuscliarfc ____________

24
ACID RAIN WORD SEARCH

ACID EXHAUST OXIDES

ATMOSPHERE FOSSIL RAIN
CAR FUELS STREAMS
CARBON LAKES SULFUR
DIOXIDE NITROGEN WIND

B A J T D U J V S D Q O E K V

A L O M S B G F A E J W K G V

E D A C I D N K R U S V U P T

O N I T R O G E N T N L S E H

E F V O M K P J E S U L F U R

L Q M H X O W C J U B V R O D

Q F J H X I S E C A R B O N O

J J Y I N T D P X H R V C P W

K Z D D R S S E H X E O B F V

S E M E L J E H C E F X A Q U

S I A E L D K T A A R X U U N

U M U P K Y A T K A W E J S N

S F O S S I L Z I X L U Q H L

L L E D S G I N E O K R U A C

I V V U P J C R N G L F Z C G

25
FILL IN THE BLANKS
1. The atmosphere becomes __________ as the height increases
2. The lowest band is known as the __________
3. The Ozone Layer is a thin layer of __________ that covers Earth
4. The stratosphere is ____km thick
5. When gas is __________ the molecules move __________ and therefore expand
6. When gas cools the __________ take up less space and __________
7. A __________ is a great example of Boyle’s Law
8. Effusion is when gas moves through a __________ into another container
9. Diffusion is the __________ __________ process of molecules of different gases
10.Three important rules of Gases are known as __________, __________
and____________
11.Gas isn’t an ideal gas when in extremely __________pressure or extremely __________
temperature
12.Ideal Gas equation- P___=nRT
13.Greenhouse Effect is when during the day Earth __________ heat from the sun and traps
it in our __________ therefore increasing our __________
14.Fossil __________ such as coal, oil, natural gas and cutting/burning down trees doesn’t
help with the Greenhouse Effect, but in fact contributes.
15.The Greenhouse Effect influences __________, __________, __________, __________
and __________
16.Examples of Acids are __________, __________ and __________
17.Examples of Bases are __________ and __________
18.Pure water is a neutral, its number on the pH scale would be ____
19.Acid rain is a major __________ problem
20. __________ Acid and __________ acid form in clouds and fall as Acid Rain
21.Acid rain measures on the pH scale __________

WORDS TO CHOOSE FROM

Troposphere, heated, Avogadro’s Law, Sulfuric, low, contract, bike pump, temperature,
draino, 7, sea level, environmental, car batteries, plants and animals, people, high, V
(Volume), fuels, weather, absorbs, mixing, lemon juice, atmosphere, faster, hole, Nitric, 5-6,
ammonia , Boyle’s Law, gradual, molecules, 35, Gas, Thinner, Charles’s law, farming,
vinegar,

26
 ACTIVITY ANSWERS
ACID AND BASE WORD SCRABBLE
1. Acid
2. Base ACID RAIN WORD SEARCH
3. pH scale
B A J T D U J V S D Q O E K V
4. Blue litmus paper
5. Neutral A L O M S B G F A E J W K G V
6. Severe burns E D A C I D N K R U S V U P T
7. Bitter O N I T R O G E N T N L S E H
8. Indicator
9. Protons E F V O M K P J E S U L F U R
10. Lemon juice L Q M H X O W C J U B V R O D
11. Concentration Q F J H X I S E C A R B O N O
12. Sour
13. Red cabbage juice J J Y I N T D P X H R V C P W
14. Hydroxide ions K Z D D R S S E H X E O B F V
15. Pure water S E M E L J E H C E F X A Q U
16. Dark purple
17. Strong acid S I A E L D K T A A R X U U N
18. Weak acid U M U P K Y A T K A W E J S N
19. Salt + water S F O S S I L Z I X L U Q H L
20. Neutralization
21. Red L L E D S G I N E O K R U A C
22. Sulfuric acid I V V U P J C R N G L F Z C G

ACID EXHAUST RAIN

ATMOSPHE FOSSIL STREAMS
RE FUELS SULFUR
CAR LAKES WIND
CARBON NITROGEN
DIOXIDE OXIDES

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. Thinner 12. V (Volume)
2. Troposphere 13. Absorbs, Atmosphere, Temperature
3. Gas 14. Fuels
4. 35 15. Weather, sea level, farming, plants and animals,
5. Heated, Faster people
6. Molecules, Contract 16. Car batteries, lemon juice, vinegar
7. Bike pump 17. draino, ammonia
8. Hole 18. 7
9. Gradual, mixing 19. Environmental
10. Charles’s law, Boyle’s Law, Avogadro’s Law 20. Sulfuric, Nitric
11. High, Low 21. 5-6

27
GLOSSARY
Absorb- Take in or soak up
Acid- A chemical substance, sour tasting, dissolves some metals, turns litmus red
Argon- Chemical element #18, makes up nearly 1% of Earth’s atmosphere
Atmosphere or Air- 70% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 0.3% Carbon Dioxide, 0.7% other gases
Aurora- a natural light display in the sky, caused by the collision of charged
particles directed by the Earth’s magnetic field
Base- Bitter taste, maybe corrosive (draino), turns acid neutral, opposite to acid
Buffer- A solution that resists changes in pH when acid or bases are added to it
Carbon Dioxide- Colourless, odourless gas CO2, Absorbed by plants, 0.03% of
Earth’s atmosphere
Concentrated- High amount gathered in the one place
Contract- Process of becoming smaller in size
Corrosive- A substance that will destroy or irreversibly damage another surface
or substance when it comes into contact
Diffusion- Gradual missing of molecules of different gases
Diluted- To make something weaker by adding water or another solvent
Effusion- The movement of molecules from a container through a small hole
into another container
Exert- Apply or bring to bear- force, influence etc
Expand- Process of becoming larger in size
Fossil Fuels- A natural fuel such as gas or coal formed from factories, engine
emissions etc
Gas- Air-like fluid substance which expands freely to fill any space available,
irrespective of its quantity

28
Greenhouse Effect- The trapping of the sun’s warmth in Earth’s lower
atmosphere, thus causing Earth to rise in temperature
Ideal Gas- A hypothetical gas, whose molecules occupy negligible space, has no
interactions and consequently obeys the gas laws.
Ideal Gas Law- PV= nRT (P- Pressure, V- Volume, n- number of moles, R-
constant, T- temperature
Liquid- A substance that is liquid. Has a consistency like water or oil
Litmus Paper- Paper used to indicate the amount of acid or base of a substance
Matter- Anything that takes up space and has mass, three types- Solid, Liquid
and Gas
Methane- A colourless, odourless, flammable gas, main element of natural gas
Molecules- A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest unit
Nitrogen- Chemical element #7, gas that forms 78% of Earth’s atmosphere
Omitted- Leave out or exclude
Oxygen- colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that makes 21% of atmosphere
Ozone Layer- thin layer around Earth, which blocks most of the Sun’s harmful
UV rays thus preventing them from hurting us on Earth
Periodic Table of Elements- An arrangement of the elements in order of atomic
number, elements are grouped with similar properties in their columns
pH scale- Provides a measurement of how acidic or basic a substance is, ranges
from 0-14
Radiation- Energy transmitted as heat, light electricity etc
Solid- A substance or object that is solid rather than liquid or fluid
Troposphere- where the gases are that are needed by living things on Earth

29
REFERENCES
Childcraft 1990, Discovering Gases, 3rd edn, World Book International, Bath, UK
Gibson, G 1995, Making things change, Watts Books, Sydney
http://www.weirdsciencekids.com/AcidRainExperiment.html
Oxtoby, D 1990, Principles of Modern Chemistry, 2nd edn, Saunders College, Philadelphia
Carlton, V 1982, Chemistry: Key to the Earth, 2nd edn, Melbourne University Press

30