Natural Resources & Carbon
In the last unit, we discussed natural resources and fossil fuels. We know that fossil fuels are named that way because they are made from the remains of ancient plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. We have also learned that burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air, and this causes a greenhouse effect around the planet, warming Earth to a potentially dangerous degree. We'll read a bit more on that below. For now, let's concentrate on carbon.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air because all life is carbon-based. This means that all life is made from, uses, and requires carbon as one of its primary materials. The term we use for carbon-based is "organic." All life is organic life, and all carbon-based chemicals are organic compounds. For example, carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are considered organic compounds. Any time you read or hear the term "organic matter," it simply means that the substance contains the element carbon.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air because all life is carbon-based. This means that all life is made from, uses, and requires carbon as one of its primary materials. The term we use for carbon-based is "organic." All life is organic life, and all carbon-based chemicals are organic compounds. For example, carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are considered organic compounds. Any time you read or hear the term "organic matter," it simply means that the substance contains the element carbon.
All life on Earth is organic life, so carbon is extremely important to life. But how did carbon get on Earth to begin with?
Where does carbon come from?
All elements on Earth came from stars. The simplest element, hydrogen, gets smashed together in the star in millions of nuclear reactions. The hydrogen atoms fuse to make helium. Helium atoms fuse to make Carbon, and so on, until you get all the elements on the Periodic Table. When the star explodes, all of these elements float in space until they come together to form a planet. You can read the comic strip below to learn more.
Why is carbon so special to us?
Excess carbon dioxide is released through our lungs. The carbon dioxide we breathe out, then, is the carbon from the sugar we break down and use in our bodies. Just as we depend on plants for oxygen, plants depend on animals for carbon dioxide. So how does this relationship work?
Carbon Cycle & Photosynthesis
Carbon cycles through Earth, life, and the atmosphere, just like water does in the water cycle. You can see in the image that carbon is trapped deep underground, it is in rock and soil, and it is deep in the ocean. Carbon cycles through photosynthesis on land, as well as in the ocean.
Photosynthesis is process that converts solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, and it takes place inside plant cells. It is important in maintaining the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Photosynthesis takes place inside plant cells in small tissues called chloroplasts. Chloroplasts contain a green substance called chlorophyll. This absorbs the light energy needed to make photosynthesis happen. Plants and algae can only carry out photosynthesis in the light. |
Vocab Alert!
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Plants get carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves, and water from the ground through their roots. Light energy comes from the Sun.
To recap: Photosynthesis creates glucose and oxygen, both necessary for much of life.
We can write this as equations. |
The "word equation" for photosynthesis is:
carbon dioxide + water + Energy → glucose + oxygen |
The chemical equation for photosynthesis is:
CO2 + H2O + Energy → C6 H12 O6 + O2 |
Be sure to write these equations down in your notes!
Crash Course: Photosynthesis
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Bill Nye: Photosynthesis + History
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How to grow fresh air in your home
In this TED talk, Kamal Meattle discusses his research for producing fresh air from a combination of 3 common house plants. Including these plants in an office building increased oxygen in the blood, increased productivity, and increased overall mood.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from One Way Stock, Science Activism, One Way Stock