Environmental chem

Organic Matter

is made by a living thing, contains C, and can be

decomposed easily

Inorganic matter 1

NOT made by living things and does not contain C

Plants and animals need four organic compounds in

order to survive:

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Lipids

Nucleic acids

Vitamins (other organic compounds used by the

body to help speed up bodily processes

Carbohydrates

are organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, often serving as a primary energy source for living organisms. Sugar or things made up

of sugar

Simple carbohydrates =

easy to digest

Complex carbohydrates

= takes longer to digest

Used for energy

Proteins

Made up of amino acids

Building blocks for

muscles, ligaments,

hormones and enzymes

Used for growth and

repair

Enzymes are proteins

that speed up chemical

reactions in living

organisms

Lipids

Fats, oils and waxes

Can be produced by both

plants and animals

Used for energy,

cushioning organs, and

lubricating skin and

joints

Nucleic Acids (not important)

Hereditary building

blocks (DNA) and the

building ‘codes’ (RNA)

are made up of nucleic

acids

Both DNA and RNA

contain carbon (either in

the deoxyribose (for

DNA) or ribose (RNA)

molecule

Vitamins

Vitamins are large organic

molecules that help enzymatic and

body function

Ex: ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

C6H8O6

On the other hand, minerals are

inorganic elements that plants and

elements ingest or absorb from

their food or the environment

Ex: calcium (bone and teeth

health)

Inorganic Matter w example?

Anything NOT made by a living thing, which

includes elements and compounds that do not contain

C

Minerals - substances not destroyed by cooking

or exposure to air; essential components of

enzymes and vitamins

Macromineral (100 mg/day or more)

Micromineral (<100 mg/day)

The Root Source

Root systems of plants are uniquely

suited for extracting minerals

Minerals dissolved in the water are

taken up and concentrated into the

root hairs

Minerals absorbed by the roots

move to other parts of the plant and

used to build organic compounds

When we eat the plants we access

these valuable organic compounds

Nutrient Absorption

Chemical Uptake by Plants & Animals

Animals ingest (eat)

their food, where the

body digests it (breaks

it down), and then the

intestines absorb the

nutrients.Plants absorb their nutrients through

the soil through osmosis and move

through the plant through diffusion

Osmosis vs. Diffusion

Both passive (require no energy input)

Diffusion refers to the movement of nutrients or

particles from high concentration to low (to reach

equilibrium)

Osmosis is the movement of water across a

semi-permeable membrane to balance solute

concentrations on either side of the membrane

Active Transport

Requires energy

The movement of solutes against the

concentration gradient (from low to high)

Ex: ATP, or sodium-potassium pumps

Substrate

In simple terms, a

substrate is the surface

on which an organism

live, grows, and

obtains its

nourishment.

For most plants, the

soil is the substrate

Pollutants

A substance that is harmful

to living things

Measured in parts per

million (ppm)

For every 1 million parts of

water there is 1 part

pollutant

Eutrophication

A process where water bodies receive excess nutrients, often from fertilizers, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion. The process in which

excess fertilizers enter an

aquatic habitat and cause

an algal bloom is known

as eutrophication.

Once the fertilizers

disappear, the algae

decomposes, comsuming

oxygen in the water which

kills fish, and increases

CO2 levels, decreasing the

pH.

Leachate -

to groundwater, creating a toxic liquid that can contaminate water sources. Leachate - when rainwater dissolves and washes

away chemicals from landfills

Eflluent

wastewater or sewage discharged from a treatment facility into a water body, often containing pollutants.

Solutions to Pollution -Photolysis

a process that breaks down pollutants using sunlight, converting harmful substances into less harmful ones. chemical

reaction that occurs when

molecules of a compound

are broken down by the

absorption of light. Sometimes known as

Photodissociation or

Photodecomposition

Phytoremediation

the use of plants to absorb

pollutants from the soil and break them down.

Biomagnification

the concentration of a

pollutant increases as you move up the food

chain

Bioaccumulation

the buildup of contaminants

in an organism over time

Acids

A substance that forms

Hydrogen ions (H+) when

mixed with water

Has a pH value of less than

7

Tart or tangy taste

Examples: sulfuric acid,

lactic acid, vinegar, lemon

juice

Bases

A substance that forms

Hydroxide ions (OH-) when

mixed with water

Has a pH value of more

than 7

Bitter taste, slippery texture

Examples: sodium

hydroxide, bleach, antacids

pH stands for “power of …..”

The “power” reported as pH is actually a power of

ten in scientific notation, Take a strong acid, with pH

0.0, as a starting point. An acid with pH 1.0 has one

tenth, or 10-1 times, the concentration. Vinegar, with

pH of 3.0, has only one thousandth, or 10-3 times, the

concentration. hydrogen concentration

Effects of acid rain on the

environment

Acid rain can harm aquatic ecosystems, plant life, and soil composition, leading to decreased biodiversity and disrupted nutrient cycles. Acid rain affects buildings, vehicles and infrastructure

It can also affect chemicals in the soil, dissolving nutrients

like calcium and magnesium that trees need to be healthy

It also affects water systems and the plants and fish that

live in them, possibly making them inhospitable.

Acid rain can also eat away and the calcium in the shells of

birds

Using Chemistry to Control Acid

Effects what is liming

Chemistry techniques to mitigate Acid-Base Neutralization

The combining of an acid

and a base to produce a salt

and water

Liming

Ca CO3(s)+ H2SO4(aq)

CaSO4(s)

+ H2O(l) +CO2(g)

Using Chemistry to Control Harmful

Emissions Catalytic Converters

Chemistry methods used to reduce hazardous emissions from vehicles, improving air quality by converting harmful substances into less harmful ones. Contain a ceramic or wire

honeycomb-like structure coated with

a thin layer of metallic catalysts Catalysts speed up a chemical

reaction without being used up in the

reaction Aids the formation of CO2 and H2O

from hydrocarbons, reducing the

amounts of CO and NOx

The purpose is to encourage complete

oxidation

Monitoring Water Quality

Water quality is determined according to what the

water is used for

The following chemicals are most commonly

monitored as indicators of water quality

Dissolved oxygen

Acidity

Heavy metals

Plant nutrients

Pesticides

Salts

The level of Dissolved Oxygen

The level of dissolved oxygen in

water depends on:

Temperature

Turbulence due to wind or

the speed of moving water

The amount of

photosynthesis by plants

and algae in the water

The number of organisms

using up the oxygen