Greenhouse gases absorb (and trap) outgoing infared radiation (heat) from Earth and contribute to global warming. The molecule of a greenhouse gas either possesses a permanent dipole moment or has a changing dipole moment during its vibrational motions. Consider three of the vibrational modes of carbon dioxide

where the arrows indicate the movement of the atoms. (During a complete cycle of vibration, the atoms move toward one extreme position and then reverse their direction to the other extreme position.) Which of the preceding vibrations are responsible for CO2 to behave as a greenhouse gas? Which of the following molecules can act as a greenhouse gas: N2, O2, CO, NO2, and N2O?

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a. 0=C=0 0-C=0 0=C=Ó