ChemistryCode 9701
Nitrogen and sulfur
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- account for why nitrogen is so unreactive, referring to the strength of its triple bond and the absence of polarity
- describe and explain: (a) the basicity of ammonia, explained with the Brønsted–Lowry theory (b) the ammonium ion's structure, and how an acid–base reaction forms it (c) how an acid–base reaction displaces ammonia from ammonium salts
- state and explain where oxides of nitrogen come from, both naturally and through human activity, and how catalysts remove them from internal combustion engine exhaust gases
- appreciate that nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, NO and NO2, can combine with unburned hydrocarbons to yield peroxyacetyl nitrate, PAN, which forms part of photochemical smog
- describe how NO and NO2 contribute to acid rain, both directly and by acting as catalysts in the oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the air