Climate in cities

Basics

2. Air pollution

Worksheet 2

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The first experiment (E) is to research your environment about the pollutant dust. The second experiment will give you a possibility to proof another pollutant in different fuels. The tasks (T) are helpful to get understandable results of the experiments.

You need these things for the experiments:

Be careful: some chemicals used and some products of the experiment E2 are harmful!

several

1
1
1

div.

div.

(yoghurt-) cups
white or clear adhesive strip
magnifying glass (microscope)
water-operated vacuum pump
wash bottle
glass funnel
fireproof plate (crucible)
lighter / gas burner
hoses

water
sulfur
fuchsine
brown coal
petroleum fractions [F+, Xn, N; S: 12-51/53-65-66-67; R: 9-16-23-24-29-33-61-62]
butane [F+; R: 12; S: 2-9-16]

Fasten an adhesive strip to a (yoghurt-) cup in such a way, that the adhesive surface is upward.
Place several of prepared cups at different places., To prevent measuring dust whirled up directly from beside, place the cups 1m above the soil.
After a certain setup time (several rainless days) examine the dust on the adhesive strips about quantity and grain size.

Note your results. Give as exact as possible an indication of the locations and the exposition time.

Ignite a little bit of sulfur and suck the gasious products with a water-operated vacuum pump through a little bit of a fuchsine solution. (0,2g fuchsine in 100mL water. Dilute a bit of this solution to a very light red color.). Repeat this experiment with different petroleum fractions, brown coal and butane (lighter).

You have to exchange the diluted fuchsine solution after every experiment.

Keep a reference sample of your original solution.

Note your observations.

Which pollutant is proofed by this experiment?

You could prove this pollutant as the burning product of which fuel? Justify.

About this page:

Authors: M. Seesing, M. Tausch - Universität Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg / Germany
Rewiewer:

Last update: 2004-05-13

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