Question

Why are molecules like oxygen gas, O2, and nitrogen gas, N2, not greenhouse gases?(1 point)
Responses

The molecules are made up of three atoms.
The molecules are made up of three atoms.
Oxygen and nitrogen are tightly bound and cannot vibrate in a way to absorb energy.
Oxygen and nitrogen are tightly bound and cannot vibrate in a way to absorb energy.
Infrared radiation is absorbed and remitted by these molecules.
Infrared radiation is absorbed and remitted by these molecules.
Oxygen and nitrogen have asymmetric vibration when struck by infrared radiation.

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o mini
The correct response is: **Oxygen and nitrogen are tightly bound and cannot vibrate in a way to absorb energy.**

This is because greenhouse gases need to have the ability to vibrate in a manner that allows them to absorb infrared radiation. O2 and N2 are diatomic molecules that do not have the necessary vibrational modes to absorb this radiation effectively, thus they do not contribute to the greenhouse effect.

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