Environmental Chemistry

What must be true for an organic compound?

Contains carbon attached to carbon and/or hydrogen

What are the different macronutrients?

Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids (fats)

What are the different micronutrients?

Vitamins and minerals

What is the function of carbohydrates?

Short-term energy source

What are examples of carbohydrates?

Simple sugars like glucose, fructose and sucrose

What is the function of protein?

They are a source of amino acids and function as a structural and catalytic molecule

How are lipids stored and what is their function?

They are stored as triglycerides and serve as long-term energy storage

what is the difference between macro and micro nutrients?

Macronutrients are needed in larger amounts (g) whereas micronutrients are needed in smaller amounts (Mg or µg)

What is the main role of vitamins?

They support enzyme function and overall health

What is the main role of minerals?

essential for health, necessary for proper enzyme function.

How do chemicals get into plants?

Plants absorb nutrients and minerals through their leaves and roots by processes like osmosis and diffusion. If nutrients and minerals can go in, then so can harmful substances

What distinguishes vitamins from minerals?

Vitamins are organic while minerals are inorganic.

What is fertilizer?

A mixture of substances that enriches soil in order to increase plant growth

What are the pros of fertilizer?

Increase nitrogen for plants and higher crop yields

What are the cons of fertilizer?

Expensive, causes runoff pollution and acidification

What are the main elements used in fertilizer?

Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus

What acids are found in acid rain?

Sulfuric, nitric and carbonic acid

What is the formula representing? :SO3(g) + H2O(l) → H2SO4(aq).

Sulfuric acid reacting with water to create sulfuric acid rain

What is a remediation method for acid rain?

Liming, which neutralizes acid rain using calcium carbonate

What is a preventative method for acid rain?

Installing catalytic converters to reduce nitrogen oxides

What is a catalyst?

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change

Define pollution

The introduction of harmful substances into the environment

What is bioaccumulation?

The buildup of absorbed chemicals in an organism over time

What is biomaginification?

The increasing concentration of toxins as they move up the food chain

What is the difference between toxins and poisons?

Toxins and natural poisonous substances, while poisons are synthetic

What does LD50 measure? What is it expressed as?

The lethal dose of a substance that kills 50% of a test population. Expressed as the quotient of mg of a substance per each kg of body mass

What unit is used to express the concentration of solutes?

Parts per million (ppm)

How do you calculate ppm?

ppm = mg (of solute) / kg (of solvent)

What part of a solution diffuses?

Solutes

What part of a solution goes through osmosis?

Solvents

Why does biomagnification and bioaccumulation occur?

The chemical concentration increases because organisms cannot break down or excrete these substances as quickly as they are absorbed

What is an indicator of where acid rain will fall?

Acid rain will fall nearby industrial areas

What some examples of poor water quality factors?

Dissolved solids, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste

What are some examples of good water quality factors?

Lots of dissolves oxygen, a variety of organisms, and not very cloudy water

By which areas where will water quality be the worst in a river?

Downstream of industrial spaces and farms

Where is acid indicated on the pH scale?

less than 7 is acidic

Where is base indicated on the pH scale?

more than 7 is basic

What is neutral on the pH scale>

7

How is acid rain created?

Acidic gases are released into the atmosphere by industrial buildings - The gases get carried by the wind - The gases then dissolve in rainwater in the atmosphere to form acid rain

Where is water, rain, and acid rain on the pH scale?

Water - 7

Rain - 5 or 6

Acid rain - 3 or 4

What is remediation?

Solution for the aftermath of a problem

What is prevention?

Solution for a problem before it happens

What does a catalytic converter do?

Removes nitrogen oxides from the factories and cars before they get into the air

What does a scrubber do?

A device that is installed in large factories that absorbs the harmful oxides

What is liming?

Neutralizing water after acid rain using acids or bases