The components of the air are the series of variable and invariable chemical elements that make up this great natural resource. Many years ago it was studied what air was and what it was made of. The Greek philosophers, who wondered why they couldn't see something they felt that was so essential to functioning, came to different conclusions.
For most of them, it was a divine element, which gave rise to life and that together with water, fire and earth created a powerful force that conglomerated everything that was present in nature.
However, it was not until the seventeenth century AD that the concept of air that we have today was reached: a homogeneous set of gases and different elements.
Main components of air
Thanks to these studies mentioned above, today we can understand a concept as abstract as air with a little more clarity.
Air has different components and they are usually divided into two groups: the constant components, and the variable components.
Starting from this classification, we will explain each one of them in detail.
1- Constant components
To this group belong the elements and gases that, regardless of the condition, are always present in the composition of the air. These are nitrogen and oxygen.
Nitrogen is the element with the greatest presence in the constitution and formation of air. Only 71% of the air is made up of nitrogen.
Nitrogen is a not very reactive gas, which is present in the human body and is vital for all living beings.
This gas has a great influence on the growth of plants and even most fertilizers are made with nitrogen, with the intention of stimulating the development of the plant organism.
On the other hand, oxygen is part of 21% of the composition of air. Chemically, it is considered the producer of acids and thanks to that, it makes terrestrial life possible.
Although nitrogen has a major part in the composition of air, its existence would not even be possible without the exact amount of oxygen.
As mentioned, the latter is a producer of acids and in some way, it catalyzes and gives rise to different reactions.
Oxygen makes up the majority of water, and since the human body is 70% water, it is also the main element in humans.
2- Variable components
When we refer to the variable components of the air, they are those elements that may or may not be present in the air, and in general, it depends on a certain place. Therefore, the air content may vary depending on the area or space.
Also, the composition of the air and the presence of these variable elements depend on the atmospheric condition of a certain moment or habits in that society, which could modify the constitution and composition of the air, increasing or altering the presence of some elements.
For example, if an electrical storm has just occurred, it is common for the air to contain nitrogen oxide particles, as they are expelled during this weather process.
If you are in a place with many cars and the environmental pollution from factory smoke is high, the air probably contains carbon oxide in its composition.
Also, the density and composition of air can vary according to the height or distance from the earth's surface.
Among the most common variable elements are carbon dioxide, water vapor, helium, argon, krypton, hydrogen, ozone, methane, among others.
Each of these elements plays a fundamental role in the life of each living being, fulfilling important functions.
These are so common and happen so often or as a cycle, that we see them normally and ignore the whole process that lies behind it.
An example of this is photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process carried out by plants and that is only possible with the presence of oxygen, but also with carbon dioxide.
Air and water
For its part, the water vapor that accumulates in the air is an element that is produced when the water reaches its gaseous state. When it condenses and there is too much water vapor in the air, fog is formed.
Argon is considered to be 0.934% of the air most of the time. In addition to its presence in the atmosphere, this chemical element is used to fill incandescent bulbs and lamps, thus producing one of the main sources of light used by human beings.
Hydrogen is the lightest gas in the entire composition of air, and although visible hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on earth, hydrogen gas has little presence. However, it is produced by algae and some bacteria.
Lastly, ozone is a mixture of three oxygen atoms. This element is an oxidant and plays an important role in the atmosphere.
In addition, it is present in the stratosphere and in the troposphere. Ozone can be present in the air (depending on conditions) in low amounts, because otherwise it would cause irritation to the eyes or throat of humans.
References
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