MIStupid.com Logo
The Online Knowledge Magazine

 

Composition of Air

 

Component
Symbol
Volume
Nitrogen
N2
78.084% 99.998%
Oxygen
O2
20.947%
Argon
Ar
0.934%
Carbon Dioxide

CO2

0.033%
Neon
Ne
18.2 parts per million
Helium
He
5.2 parts per million
Krypton
Kr
1.1 parts per million
Sulfur dioxide
SO2
1.0 parts per million
Methane
CH4
2.0 parts per million
Hydrogen
H2
0.5 parts per million
Nitrous Oxide
N2O
0.5 parts per million
Xenon
Xe
0.09 parts per million
Ozone
O3
0.07 parts per million
Nitrogen dioxide
NO2
0.02 parts per million
Iodine
I2
0.01 parts per million
Carbon monoxide
CO
trace
Ammonia
NH3
trace


Human Respiration

The air that leaves a person's lungs during exhalation contains 14% oxygen and 4.4% carbon dioxide.

Atmospheres with oxygen concentrations below 19.5 percent can have adverse physiological effects, and atmospheres with less than 16 percent oxygen can become life threatening.

Other Links:
Composition of Sea Water, Atmospheric Layers, Beaufort Wind Scale, Composition of Earth's Crust, Fields of Science, Hydrologic Cycle, Periodic Table, Climate Change Quiz