May 19, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
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2023-2024 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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CHM 3650 - Environmental Chemistry

2 lecture hours 2 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
Environmental chemistry includes both natural processes (in the air, water, and soil) and anthropogenic disruptions to these processes (such as pollution and climate change). This course builds on fundamental chemical principles to explore the chemistry of major environmental topics. Recurring chemical themes include chemical equilibria, oxidation-reduction reactions, acid-base and buffering reactions, and phase partitioning.  Molecular interactions with solar radiation and free radical reactions are also examined, as are positive and negative feedback mechanisms. The laboratory component of this course will provide hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses applied to environmental issues. Students will collect and analyze real-world samples (surface water, engine exhaust, soils), and will quantify important environmental processes (greenhouse effect, acid rain, oxygen consumption) in the lab. This course meets the following Raider Core CLO requirement: Think Critically. (prereq: CHM 1010  or CHM 1050 ) (quarter system prereq: CH 200 or CH 2050 or CH 200A or CH 200B)
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Describe the global carbon and nitrogen cycles, including reservoirs, fluxes, and human influences
  • Illustrate the greenhouse effect and the molecular basis of infrared absorbance spectra
  • Apply the principles of chemical equilibria and intermolecular forces to gaseous/aqueous, aqueous/organic, and aqueous/mineral partitioning
  • Explain the significance of free radical reactions in the troposphere and stratosphere
  • Outline the central role of dissolved oxygen in surface waters and the many influences on its availability
  • Use acid-base and buffering equilibria to explain how carbonate species affect water quality
  • Describe various routes of exposure and mechanisms of toxicity for hazardous pollutants
  • Interpret data to isolate trends
  • Identify areas of experimental uncertainty and quantify their influence on conclusions
  • Design structured experiments with appropriate controls and sampling techniques
Prerequisites by Topic
  • None
Course Topics
  • Biogeochemical cycles
  • Greenhouse gases and climate change
  • Tropospheric air pollution
  • Stratospheric ozone
  • Measures of water quality
  • Surface water pollution
  • Persistent organic pollutants
  • Toxicology
  • Emerging challenges
Laboratory Topics
  • Field sampling design and techniques
  • Pollution from internal combustion engines
  • Creating acid rain
  • Quantifying the greenhouse effect
  • Measuring alkalinity in surface water
  • Oxygen-consuming wastes
  • Partitioning of organic pollutants
  • Toxicology
  • Field trips
Coordinator
Dr. Anne Alexander


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