Environmental Chemistry

30 lessons, pages 4001–4030.

  1. Environmental Chemistry as a Systems Science — Compartments, fluxes, residence times and box models
  2. Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere — Temperature layers, pressure profile, major and trace gases
  3. Solar Radiation and Atmospheric Photochemistry — Photon energies, absorption cross-sections and photolysis rates
  4. The Chapman Cycle and Stratospheric Ozone — Oxygen photolysis, ozone formation and steady-state ozone
  5. Catalytic Ozone Destruction Cycles — HOx, NOx, ClOx and BrOx chain cycles and reservoir species
  6. The Antarctic Ozone Hole — Polar stratospheric clouds, heterogeneous chlorine activation and the Montreal Protocol
  7. The Hydroxyl Radical: Detergent of the Troposphere — OH formation, steady-state concentration and oxidising capacity
  8. Atmospheric Lifetimes and Oxidation Kinetics — Pseudo-first-order loss, lifetimes of CH₄, CO and halocarbons
  9. Nitrogen Oxides and Tropospheric Ozone Formation — The NO–NO₂–O₃ photostationary state and VOC-driven ozone production
  10. Photochemical Smog — Peroxy radical chemistry, PAN, NOx-limited and VOC-limited regimes
  11. Sulfur Chemistry and Acid Deposition — SO₂ oxidation pathways, sulfuric and nitric acids and acid rain effects
  12. Atmospheric Aerosols — Primary and secondary particles, size modes, health and climate effects
  13. Greenhouse Gases and Radiative Forcing — Infrared-active vibrations, the energy balance and global warming potential
  14. The Global Carbon Cycle — Reservoirs, fluxes, anthropogenic CO₂ and ocean uptake
  15. Natural Waters: Composition and Properties — Major ions, dissolved gases, hardness and the unusual properties of water
  16. The Carbonate System in Natural Waters — CO₂ dissolution, speciation diagrams, alkalinity and buffering
  17. Ocean Acidification — Falling seawater pH, carbonate saturation state and marine calcifiers
  18. Redox Chemistry of Natural Waters — pE, dissolved oxygen, redox ladders and stratified lakes
  19. Dissolved Oxygen, BOD and COD — Oxygen demand as a measure of organic pollution and the oxygen sag
  20. Nutrients and Eutrophication — Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, algal blooms and hypoxic zones
  21. Metal Speciation and Toxicity in Water — Complexation, pH effects, lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic
  22. Drinking Water Treatment — Coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and softening
  23. Disinfection Chemistry — Chlorine, chloramines, ozone and UV; free chlorine speciation and by-products
  24. Wastewater Treatment — Primary, secondary and tertiary treatment, nitrification and phosphate removal
  25. Partitioning of Pollutants Between Phases — Henry's law, Kow, Koc and fugacity-based distribution
  26. Degradation Pathways of Pollutants — Hydrolysis, photolysis, biodegradation and half-life estimation
  27. Persistent Organic Pollutants — Persistence, long-range transport, cold condensation and the Stockholm Convention
  28. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification — Bioconcentration factors, food-chain transfer and methylmercury
  29. Soil Chemistry and Contaminant Mobility — Cation exchange, sorption, humic matter and remediation principles
  30. Environmental Chemistry: Unit Review — Linking atmospheric, aquatic and pollutant-fate chemistry