Air Chemistry
Students explore what air is made of, how to measure trace gases, how pollutants spread and react, and how to assess air quality in real-world situations.
6
Lessons
6
Class Periods
Low
Materials Cost
3
NGSS Standards
Essential Question
What is air made of, and how do the chemicals in air affect our health and environment?
Lessons
-
1→What's in the Air We Breathe?
-
2→Thinking in Parts Per Million
-
3→Gases in Motion
-
4→Indoor Air Pollutants
-
5→Chemical Reactions in Air
-
6→Air Quality Assessment
Key Concepts
Air Composition
- 78% Nitrogen (N2)
- 21% Oxygen (O2)
- ~1% Argon (Ar)
- 0.04% Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Concentration Units
- 1% = 10,000 ppm
- ppm = parts per million
- Used for trace gases
- CO2 ~420 ppm outdoors
Indoor Pollutants
- CO2 (breathing)
- CO (combustion)
- VOCs (products, materials)
- PM2.5 (cooking, candles)
Chemical Reactions
- Combustion: Fuel + O2 → CO2 + H2O
- Ozone formation requires sunlight
- NOx + VOCs + UV → O3
Standards Alignment
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| MS-PS1-1 | Develop models to describe atomic composition of simple molecules |
| MS-PS1-4 | Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion |
| MS-ESS3-3 | Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring human impact |
| 6.RP.A.3 | Use ratio and rate reasoning (percentage/ppm calculations) |