Which phrases describe oxygen's roles in Earth’s atmosphere? Check all that apply. allows fuels to burn forms clouds that produce rain is the gas that animals breathe is used by plants to produce food forms ozone that absorbs the Sun's harmful rays
Answers
Burning fuels releases harmful pollutants into the air. Pollutants can kill plants, harm our lungs, cause acid rain and are thought to contribute to global warming.
Photograph of coal burning
We burn fuels such as coal to produce energy.
A combustion reaction is when a chemical reacts with oxygen and releases energy.
We burn fuels to produce energy. When these fuels burn, the atoms in the fuels combine with oxygen from the air to make new molecules.
Coal is made mainly of carbon. This burns to produce carbon dioxide.
Petrol, diesel fuel and fuel oil are hydrocarbons. Their molecules are made of carbon and hydrogen atoms. When these fuels burn, the carbon and hydrogen atoms combine with oxygen atoms to produce carbon dioxide and water vapour.