Can you name the top gases that make up the dry atmosphere of Earth?

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Composition of Air Quiz

Rating:	Report a mistake
Published: February 21st, 2009
Category: Science
Plays: 153,974

Tags: Chemistry Quizzes, composition, atmosphere, gas, meteorology, air, earth

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	nobullship:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 05:15 GMT	10 points
	good idea for a quiz

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	DLJessup:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 05:29 GMT	16 points
	@MattJ: "Can you name the top gases that make up the dry atmosphere of Earth?"

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	frey553:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 06:07 GMT	20 points
	Ooops I would have gotten them all but I was thinking solely in terms of elements. :- The three I missed were the three compounds on there.

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	A_is_for_Addict:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 09:04 GMT	8 points
	Gases doesn't purely mean elements, in fact the top 2 are compounds they're technically called di-(insert answer here) as is one further down. I can see why it's a bit misleading though, but they really shouldn't have to define the term "gases" in the question. They've done enough in clarifying that water vapour won't be in it.

	davidr:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 09:11 GMT	8 points
	@IHR, awol and Sam: It's not at all misleading. It asks for gases and all of the substances in the quiz are gases at STP.

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	shel99:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 12:10 GMT	12 points
	I was surprised that ozone wasn't on the list.

	Sabo:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 12:34 GMT	2 points
	@shel99: Ozone is oxygen. It's an isotope consisting of three oxygen atoms where as "regular" oxygen molecules consist of two oxygen atoms.

	Malica:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 13:01 GMT	18 points
	Sabo - you mean allotrope (O2, O3...), not isotope (atoms of the same element with different number of neutrons in their nucleus).

	Sabo:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 13:47 GMT	11 points
	@malica: You are correct. My apologies for the error.

	Edd:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 13:53 GMT	8 points
	is it wrong that the first one i picked was methane?

	Rhys:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 14:00 GMT	2 points
	I forgot Oxygen, silly me.

	shel99:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 14:04 GMT	4 points
	@sabo: I know that, but generally the term "oxygen" refers to O2, and the percentage given is the correct percentage for regular diatomic oxygen. There is also monoatomic oxygen in the upper atmosphere, though not very much of it.

Tank:

Feb 21st, 2009 at 15:22 GMT

5 points

Nice quiz idea, but I forgot the last answer.

	ckbryant:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 17:15 GMT	1 point
	Got everything but the last one; I was pretty proud. I was kinda surprised H2 made the list, since it reacts out so quickly.

	Stimulus:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 17:20 GMT	0 points
	got all but methane and nitrous oxide

	jkd:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 17:45 GMT	1 point
	@MattJ, dljessup: I went down that water vapour road too at first, because I saw "Composition of Air" on the home page and did not read the exact quiz question.

	jzev:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 18:17 GMT	3 points
	There are alot of noble gases up there

	Rackie:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 18:23 GMT	1 point
	And I was sure Nitrogen oxide would be right... oh well!

	A_is_for_Addict:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 19:00 GMT	-2 points
	When I said misleading, I was referring to the common naming of the three di-answers, it makes it sound like they are monoatomic. It should be a full stop after that really, not a comma. Sorry for any confusion.

	zalagreensbury:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 19:42 GMT	0 points
	I don't know what any of that stuff is besides oxygen yet I still got most of them...story of my life.

	debbiedoesnothin:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 22:14 GMT	3 points
	I knew I might as well give up when I started typing carpe diem and ad nauseum. Apparently, I've forgotten everything I learned in high school.

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	mjenks:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 22:42 GMT	-2 points
	@ Sabo: Ozone is NOT Oxygen! They are completely different molecules! Your body uses Oxygen for metabolism; ozone destroys body tissues! Ozone's not on the list because it's in even less amounts than nitrous oxide.

	jereboam:	Feb 21st, 2009 at 22:58 GMT	1 point
	Got them all, first time. I think I've only done that once before. Quite surprised about the Hydrogen, Helium and Nitrous Oxide though.

	Edge:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 02:41 GMT	1 point
	Ahh, the one noble gas I couldn't remember! I don't know if I would have ever gotten to Nitrous Oxide, though.

	striker64:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 03:23 GMT	3 points
	Nitrous Oxide was the only one I missed, and actually I can't ever recall learning that it is one of the trace gases up there. I too kept trying water vapor until I actually read the title at the top!

	davidr:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 09:17 GMT	4 points
	@ckbryant: Hydrogen gas is reactive but not so reactive: even a hydrogen-oxygen mix requires a spark to light it at room temperature. The main reason that there's not much hydrogen or helium in the atmosphere is that the earth's gravity isn't strong enough to hold those gasses in. In the upper atmosphere, hydrogen molecules and helium atoms are whizzing around at greater than escape velocity so, eventually, they diffuse into space and don't come back.

	davidr:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 09:20 GMT	6 points
	@MattJ: Which is the `most important gas in the atmosphere' is down to your interpretation. There'd be no life without water but also none without oxygen, and no amino acids and proteins without nitrogen. But the main reason that water vapour is not in the quiz is that the amount of it in the air is extremely variable from place to place and over time: that's why the weather forecast includes information about humidity.

	davidr:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 09:32 GMT	6 points
	@Rackie: `Nitrogen oxide' is too vague. Nitrogen has three common oxides: N2O (nitrous oxide, dinitrogen monoxide, `laughing gas'), NO (nitrous oxide, nitrogen monoxide) and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide). There are also the more exotic N2O3, N2O4 and N2O5, which are explosive — dinitrogen tetroxide is used as an oxidiser in some rocket fuels.

	Tronson:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 GMT	8 points
	@davidr: NO is actually called nitric oxide.

	willowwillow:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 11:30 GMT	1 point
	I am somewhat disapointed with myself. I missed all the nobel gasses and nitrous oxide. Poop.

	willowwillow:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 11:30 GMT	3 points
	Also, has anyone else noticed that the time stamp on comments is three hours in the future?

	chambers:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 GMT	1 point
	WARNING!: dont just guess elements. read the title!

	Tictac123:	Feb 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 GMT	1 point
	Only missed Nitrous Oxide, I remember learning there were quite a few noble gases in the air so kept trying to think of another one when really I should have been thinking of car exhausts and the like