Reference no: EM133931882
Assignment:
1. Water and carbon dioxide can react in the ocean to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) Once formed, carbonic acid can generate the carbonate ion (CO32-) and 2 H+ ions. Corals are primarily made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is made from the carbonate ion and one Ca2+ ion.
a. Write the balanced chemical equations for the reactions:
i. Water and carbon dioxide forming carbonic acid it.
ii. Carbonic acid forming. the carbonate ion and hydrogen ions.
iii. Carbonate and calcium forming calcium carbonate.
b. For each reaction:
i. Determine what kind of reaction is occurring.
ii. Draw 3 PEG diagram.
iii. Determine whether the products are always favored, never favored, favored at high, temperatures, or favored at low temperatures.
c. What happens when calcium carbonate is formed? Hint: What happened during the chemical reactions lab when we combined Na2CO3 with CaCl2?
d. Increasing hydrogen in the ocean will decrease the amount of calcium carbonate formed. Explain why you think this happens based on the chemistry you've outlined above. Then, explain how these reactions are related to coral bleaching and reef death. Hint: You should also include a discussion of temperature in your answer.
e. What is the taxonomic classi?cation of the stony reef-building grooved brain coral? Hint: List everything from kingdom to species.
f. If all individuals belonging to the same family as the grooved brain coral went extinct, what impact would that have on the food web in the hydrosphere?