Question

$C{{O}_{2}}$ is heavier than ${{O}_{2}}$ and ${{N}_{2}}$ gases present in the air but it does not form the lower layer of the atmosphere. Why?

Answer 1

By using the concept of diffusion i.e. the process of the mixing of the substances with each other, you can easily answer the given statement that why carbon dioxide doesn’t form the lower layer of the atmosphere.

Complete answer:
- Carbon dioxide is a gas which is formed by the combination of the carbon and the oxygen gases. It is released into the atmosphere through various sources such as combustion of the fossil fuels, wood , cutting down of the trees, greenhouse effect, global warming etc.
Now considering the statement as;
- All the gas is present in the atmosphere in the free gaseous form and all the gases whether nitrogen, oxygen or carbon dioxide, they consist of the property of diffusion.
- Due to this property, the gases which are present in the gaseous form in the atmosphere completely mix with each other and are uniformly spread i.e. distributed everywhere in the atmosphere.
That is why, though carbon dioxide is heavier than the oxygen and nitrogen gases present IN air but it does not form the lowermost layer of the atmosphere due to this property of diffusion and this property is independent of the gravitational force which is present in the environment.

Note: Diffusion is the process of the mixing of the substances with one another as the result of the movement of the particles and the process of diffusion continues till a uniform mixture of all substances is formed.