Environmental chemistry

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Organic Compounds 

Compound with carbon attached to carbon or hydrogen 

Inorganic Compounds

Compound without carbon attached to carbon or hydrogen 

Nutrients (Macronutrients & Micronutrients) 

Micronutrients – vitamins, minerals 

Macronutrients – fats/lipids, carbohydrates, protein 

Carbohydrates 

• A short-term energy source 

• simple or complex sugar 

Lipids 

• Long term source of energy  

• Harder to digest than carbohydrates 

• Source of C, D, H, N, P 

• Saturated and unsaturated fats 

• Starts as triglycerides  

Proteins 

• source of C, H, N, O, S 

• Source of amino acids 

• Harder to digest than carbohydrates 

• Function: structure catalyst (enzyme) 

Nucleic Acids 

Large biomolecules in all cells and viruses  

Vitamins 

• needed for essential health 

• Smaller quantities than micro 

• Necessary for proper enzyme function 

Minerals 

• Inorganic nutrients needed for essential health 

• Natural element or compound 

• Necessary for proper enzyme function

Unsaturated fats

Less healthy than saturated fats

saturated Fat 

healthiest fat

Trans fat 

The unhealthiest fat 

Diffusion 

When a high concentration moves to a lower concentration 

Osmosis 

When a high concentration moves to a low concentration through a semi-permeable membrane 

Absorption 

When nutrients or chemicals are taken in through skin or stomach 

Ingestion 

When a chemical or nutrient is taken in through the mouth 

Biomagnification 

When a toxin builds up throughout the food chain, meaning the highest animal on the food chain will have the most toxin 

Dissolved Nitrates and Phosphates 

Dissolved nitrates – nitrogen in nitrate form completely dissolving in the water and move easily with water into aquatic ecosystems 

Dissolved phosphates – dissolved phosphorus in water that is essential for plant growth, too much can make algae  

Toxicity 

How harmful a substance (such as a toxin) is to a living organism

PPM 

Parts per million 

PPB 

Parts per billion 

PPT 

Parts per trillion 

LD50 

• lethal dose 50 

• How much of a substance is needed to kill half a population 

Pesticide 

• substance used to kill or ward off animals or bugs 

• Usually used on crops 

Remediation 

Process of neutralizing a substance after acid had been added 

Biodegradation 

Microorganisms breaking down into simpler organic matter 

Dispersion 

How a substance is released into the environment, spreading something 

Effluent 

Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river  

Groundwater

water that is stored in the ground in soil or in crevices of rocks

Leach

to drain from soil by the action of rainwater or ground water

Biological Indicators 

Using living organisms to determine the health of a body of water 

Acid 

• Contains hydrogen sometimes 

• Always attached to oxygen 

• Chemical substance 

Base 

• substance with a high pH 

• Neutralizes acids  

pH (pH scale) 

• Measures how toxic a solution is 

• 1 – 14, 1 is extremely acidic, 14 is considered a basic 

Neutralization 

• Making a solution around 7 on the pH scale 

• Making a solution neutral, or less harmful 

Pollution

a substance being introduced that has harmful effects to the environment 

Pollutant 

a substance with harmful effects to the environment 

Dissolved Oxygen 

• Oxygen that is found in water 

• Serving a purpose for organisms living in the water 

Turbidity

• how cloudy the water is 

• Can determine the health of the water 

Dilution 

• When a solute is dissolved in a solvent 

• Lowering the concentration by adding more solvent to the solute 

Eutrophication 

The increase of concentration in phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plants in an aquatic ecosystem

Universal Indicator

a substance put into a solution to determine how toxic it is on the pH scale based on color

Litmus Paper 

A strip of paper that is placed in a solution to determine the acidity based on the color and the pH scale 

Acid Rain 

Toxins leaving an industrial site and entering the atmosphere, then when there is tons in the atmosphere, the toxin will be dissolved into the rain, causing acid rain