The Top 10 Principal Components of the Air We Breath

If you think the air we breathe these days is just nitrogen & oxygen you might find this list of ten things we breathe in every day as a bit of a shock! From water vapour to all sorts of gases and even ammonia! This list doesn’t name all of the things we breathe in, it just names the most prominent…


 

How Much Xenon Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Xenon Is in the Air We Breathe?

10 – Xenon (Volume: 0.0000087%)

Xenon is not really toxic but some of its main compounds are. It’s rare colourless and apparently a very heavy gas.

How Much Hydrogen Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Hydrogen Is in the Air We Breathe?

9 – Hydrogen (Volume: 0.00005%)

While we are still talking about tiny amounts hydrogen H2H2 could (in theory anyway) be ripped straight out of the sky itself! But it would cost far too much to do so due to the small amounts we are talking about.

How Much Krypton Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Krypton Is in the Air We Breathe?

8 – Krypton (Volume: 0.000114%)

Often used in lighting and photography krypton plasma is a gas that has more uses than you could ever think was possible,

How Much Methane Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Methane Is in the Air We Breathe?

7 – Methane (Volume: 0.0002%)

Every year we are getting more and more Methane with each passing breath. Why? Because it is one of the most potent greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

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How Much Helium Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Helium Is in the Air We Breathe?

6 – Helium (Volume: 0.000524%)

There is nowhere near enough to make all our voices go squeaky, but regardless it is the same thing!

How Much Neon Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Neon Is in the Air We Breathe?

5 – Neon (Volume: 0.001818%)

It might be primarily used to light up glass tubes in advertising displays, but it is also one of the main elements in the very air we breathe.

How Much Carbon Dioxide Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Carbon Dioxide Is in the Air We Breathe?

4 – Carbon Dioxide (Volume: 0.01%)

While only 400 parts per million of the atmosphere it is still a part of the greenhouse gas effect and is all around us (more and more every year).

How Much Argon Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Argon Is in the Air We Breathe?

3 – Argon (Volume: 0.934%)

The first hint of argon’s existence came in 1785 when British scientist Henry Cavendish reported a seemingly inert portion of it in the air and at the time was a total mystery!

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How Much Oxygen Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Oxygen Is in the Air We Breathe?

2 – Oxygen (Volume: 20.953%)

Oxygen is just about everywhere. In the air, our blood, teeth and even our bones! But it is not just handy for breathing, it is also used in the production of steel, plastics and textiles to name just one of its thousands of uses.

How Much Nitrogen Is in the Air We Breathe?
How Much Nitrogen Is in the Air We Breathe?

1 – Nitrogen (Volume:78.110%)

Nitrogen is believed to be the seventh most abundant element in the universe and it wasn’t until the eighteenth century that scientists recognised that it was a component of air that did not support combustion.

Author: Gus Barge

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