3 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2024
    1. At normal temperatures the oxygen and nitrogen gases do not react together. In the presence of very high temperatures nitrogen and oxygen do react together to form nitric oxide. These conditions are found in the combustion of coal and oil at electric power plants, and also during the combustion of gasoline in automobiles. Both of these sources contribute about equally to the formation of nitrogen oxides.

      It’s wild to think that our everyday activities, like driving or using electricity, are contributing to the formation of nitrogen oxides. This makes me wonder about the balance between energy production and air quality. Are there better ways to generate power that reduce these emissions?

    1. If a magnetic field can create a current then we have a means of generating electricity. Experiments showed that a magnetic just sitting next to a wire produced no current flow through that wire. However, if the magnet is moving, a current is induced in the wire.

      It’s interesting how the movement of the magnet is the key here. Makes you appreciate how much we rely on this principle for generating electricity. I wonder how fast the magnet needs to move to get a good current flow. Does anyone know how this plays out in real-world applications, like wind turbines or hydroelectric power?

    1. The sulfuric and nitric acids formed from gaseous pollutants can easily make their way into the tiny cloud water droplets. These sulfuric acid droplets are one component of the summertime haze in the eastern United States. Some sulfuric acid is formed directly in the water droplets from the reaction of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Some of these sulfuric acid particles drop to the earth as "dry" acid deposition.

      This part about sulfuric and nitric acids mixing into cloud droplets is pretty wild! It’s crazy to think that these pollutants can just hang out in the air and then turn into acid rain. The bit about sulfuric acid forming from sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide is interesting—who knew that was happening up there?

      Also, the idea of "dry" acid deposition is a bit concerning. It sounds like pollution can affect the environment even when it’s not raining. I wonder how that impacts soil and plants over time.

      What do you all think? Is dry deposition as big of a deal as wet deposition?