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Composition of Air

Air is a colorless and odorless mixture of gases that makes up the Earth's atmosphere, consisting of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. The composition remains constant up to approximately 10,000 m elevation, while the moisture content varies based on temperature and location. Key properties of air include its ability to occupy space, exert pressure, and expand when heated.

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11 views

Composition of Air

Air is a colorless and odorless mixture of gases that makes up the Earth's atmosphere, consisting of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. The composition remains constant up to approximately 10,000 m elevation, while the moisture content varies based on temperature and location. Key properties of air include its ability to occupy space, exert pressure, and expand when heated.

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yout56211
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Composition of Air

Air is a mixture of gases which makes up the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases are colorless and odorless
and hence, we can’t see them but only feel them. The atmosphere is an ocean of these gases. It consists
of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1 % other gases and water vapour. The composition of air does not
change as you travel through the layers of the atmosphere. What changes is the number of molecules.
The air molecules decrease and become less. The moisture content varies from place to place. Arid
regions have less moisture content as compared to wetlands.

The water vapour or moisture content of air varies. The maximum moisture carrying capacity of air
depends primarily on temperature.

The composition of air is unchanged until the elevation of approximately 10,000 m.

The average air temperature diminishes at the rate of 0.6oC for each 100 m vertical height.

“One Standard Atmosphere” is defined as the pressure which is equal to that exerted by a 760 mm
column of mercury at 0°C sea level and at standard gravity (32.174 ft/sec2).

Components of Air

Some other components of air are mentioned below:

Sulfur dioxide(SO2) – 1.0 ppm

Methane(CH4 )-2.0 ppm

Nitrous oxide(N2O) – 0.5 ppm

Ozone(O3)-0 to 0.07 ppm

Nitrogen dioxide(NO2) – 0.02 ppm

Iodine(I2)-0.01 ppm

Carbon monoxide(CO) – 0 to trace ppm

Ammonia(NH3)-0 to trace ppm

Water vapour: We know that water present in oceans and rivers evaporates during summer and escapes
into the air. Thus water vapour is one of the components of the air. It occupies very less percentage of
the earth’s atmosphere.

Oxygen: Have you ever tried to burn a candle in absence of air? If you would try you would notice that it
doesn’t burn in absence of air. Air contains some matter which supports combustion. This substance is
oxygen. Oxygen is one of the major components of air around us. Air comprises almost 21% oxygen.

Nitrogen: When you blow over a burning candle you notice that it extinguishes. This means air contains
incombustible gases (gases which don’t support combustion) too. This is majorly due to the presence of
nitrogen. Nitrogen occupies nearly 78% of the earth’s atmosphere and is the most abundant gas on our
planet.

Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is mainly produced due to respiration by plants and animals or the
burning of fuel. It occupies 0.038% of the earth’s atmosphere. Its occupancy keeps on changing from one
place to another in our atmosphere.

Smoke and dust particles: Smoke is present in our atmosphere due to the burning of fuels. Its occupancy
varies from place to place. It is a mixture of gases and is often harmful. Apart from these, dust particles
are also present in our atmosphere which we observe when we see a ray of light in a dark room. Smoke
and dust particles occupy less than 1% of earth’s atmosphere.

Properties of Air

As mentioned earlier, gases are matter. There are certain properties of gases like any other matter. Some
common properties are as follows:

Colourless and Odourless:

Air generally has no colour or odour. It is an invisible matter that can only be felt. All living things breathe
air for their survival. Moving air is called wind.

Occupy Space:

It is a mixture of different gases. Hence, like every other matter, they also occupy space. On blowing, a
balloon expands because the air being blown into it fills up the empty space.

Air Exerts Pressure:

It has weight, and the pressure exerted by the weight of air is known as air pressure. Due to gravity, this
mixture of gases near the surface is denser than at high altitudes. This is why the gaseous atmosphere in
the mountains is thinner than that at the surface.

Expansion:

Another property is its expanding property. On heating, it expands and occupies more space. The more it
expands, the thinner it becomes. Hence, the pressure of the warm wind is lower than that of cold wind.

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