Chemistry ConnectionsEpisode #25  

Welcome to Chemistry Connections, my name is Christopher Sawicki, and I am your host for episode #25. Today I will be discussing the chemistry of lightning.

Segment 1: Introduction to lightning

• Lighting, how lightning is produced and why
• Lighting gives of a smell and color
• Ionization: transfer of electrons to form an ion or from an ion
• Intramolecular forces: attractions between atoms in a molecule
• Intermolecular forces: attractions between entire molecules

Segment 2: The Chemistry Behind lightning

Lightning

• Water and ice move around in the cloud, ice has a negative charge
• Updrafts and downdrafts in storms cause water molecules to collide which causes electrons to be separated from the molecules and move towards the bottom of the cloud
• Warm updrafts sweep positively charged molecules to the top of the cloud
• Updraft: current of air moving up
• Positive ions move towards the top of the cloud and creates an electric field
• Electrons are attracted to positive charged ions on the ground
• Can contain billions to trillions of electrons
• 1 billion volts of electricity
• Up to 5 billion Joules of energy
• Electrons are attracted to positive charged ions because they want to neutralize themselves.
• Protons move up and meet the electrons as they move down
• As electrons move down through during lightning, they crash into more molecules in the air, creating more ions
• This is why metals attract lightning because it has a sea of electrons and many positive charged ions.

Smell

• The smell of thunderstorms is the result of ozone in the air
• As lightning travels down, it splits O2 molecules creating 2 oxygen atoms
• These oxygen atoms then bond with other O2 molecules creating ozone, O3

Color

• Creates a blue-violet color highlighting the lightning bolt
• Electrons form lightning ionize O2 and N2 molecules 
• These molecules become excited and take on a different color when in this state

Heat

• The electrons in lightning carry heat. 
• Lightning can be up to 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is 6 times hotter than the sun
• Intramolecular forces
• Air is a poor conductor electricity
• Conductor means it it is easy for electrons to pass through
• Not ionic or metallic, covalent bonds make electrons not as attracted and easily given or pulled off
• Because air is a poor conductor of electricity, there is a greater resistance to the electrons moving through the air, which creates heat, heating up the molecules are the lightning

Segment 3: Personal Connections

• Lightning fascinates me because clouds form seemingly out of nothing, evaporated water and produce lighting bolts with billions of electrons
• Enough electricity and energy to kill people
• 2000 people die a year due to lightning
• Always thought lightning was cool and wanted to know what cause lightning to occur

Thank you for listening to this episode of Chemistry Connections. For more student-ran podcasts and digital content, make sure that you visit www.hvspn.com. 

Sources:

https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/07/31/thunderstorms/

https://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-lightning

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/thunder-and-lightning

https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weather/weather.html#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20any%20electrons%20liberated%20near,and%20creating%20more%20charged%20fragments.

https://www.tau.ac.il/~colin/research/Chemistry/chemistry.html

Music Credits

Warm Nights by @LakeyInspired