The University of Western Australia
 

Unit Information Management System (Life and Physical Sciences / Natural and Agricultural Sciences)

Environmental Chemistry (CHEM3310, SEM-1, 2009, Crawley)




Faculty of Life & Physical Sciences


Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences




Unit Outline




Environmental Chemistry


CHEM3310


SEM-1, 2009


Campus: Crawley


Unit Coordinator: DR Sandra (Sam) Saunders


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Copying of this material by students, except for fair dealing purposes under the Copyright Act, is prohibited. For the purposes of this fair dealing exception, students should be aware that the rule allowing copying, for fair dealing purposes, of 10% of the work, or one chapter/article, applies to the original work from which the excerpt in this course material was taken, and not to the course material itself

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Unit Details

Unit title Environmental Chemistry
Unit code CHEM3310 Credit points 6
Availability SEM-1, 2009 (23/02/2009 - 20/06/2009)
Location Crawley Mode on-campus

Contact Details

Faculty Faculty of Life & Physical Sciences
School Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences
School website http://www.biomedchem.uwa.edu.au/
Unit coordinator DR Sandra (Sam) Saunders
Unit coordinator Email saunders@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Unit coordinator Telephone Number 6488 3153
Consultation Hours by appointment
Lecturers
NamePositionEmailTelephone Number
DR Dylan Jayatilaka A/Prof.dylan@theochem.uwa.edu.au6488 3138
Tutors
Unit Contact hours lectures: 2 hrs per week; labs: 50 hrs
Online handbook http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/CHEM/CHEM3310
Unit website webCT

Unit Rules

Prerequisites CHEM2210 Structure Determination and Physical Chemistry and CHEM2220 Analytical and Physical Chemistry
Corequisites
Advisable prior study
Incompatibility
Approved quota

Unit Description

Description

This unit introduces the concepts and techniques of environmental chemistry. Topics covered include the chemistry of the atmosphere and aqueous solutions. Some current environmental problems are covered in depth to demonstrate that solutions to these problems require an understanding of the scientific principles, together with social and political change.

Welcome to Environmental Chemistry 3310. The unit is designed to introduce the concepts and techniques of environmental chemistry. The series of lectures discuss general features, properties and compositions and demonstrate how chemistry is of major importance in understanding environmental processes. Topics covered include the chemistry of the atmosphere and influence of anthropogenic emissions on this chemistry; residence time and cyclic processes; focus on the stratosphere and troposphere: chemistry of the ozone layer, ozone formation, destruction and depletion, transport and deposition of trace gases, hydroxyl and nitrate radicals, classical and photochemical smog, car exhaust pollution, emission control, acid deposition, global warming; the aqueous environment; aqueous solutions; composition of natural waters; methods of solving complex equilibria, activity correction, closed and open carbonate systems, alkalinity, buffer intensity, complex ion, solubility; the solid-solution interface: reactive solids, structure, surface charging; the electrochemical double layer, colloid aggregation; redox reactions in natural waters; oxygen pressures, microbial mediation, carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus cycles.

Learning outcomes

#Outcomes
1Students will be able to recall and integrate key knowledge and concepts about: • Manmade and naturally occurring chemicals, their chemical behaviour, and processes in which they are involved.
2Students will acquire skills in:• Environmental chemical problem solving, • Topic critique, evaluation and essay writing
3New laboratory methods,Laboratory report writing, Computing with spreadsheets and graphical packages

Unit Structure

(See Timetable)

Unit Schedule

WeekDateLecture TopicLecturerLaboratory
1see timetableEnvironmental chemistry, general concepts/principles/ideasSam Saunderssee timetable
2see timetableStratospheric chemistry: the ozone layerSam Saunderssee timetable
3see timetableGround-level air chemistry and air pollutionSam Saunderssee timetable
4see timetableParticulates in air pollutionSam Saunderssee timetable
5see timetableAcid Rain Indoor air pollutionSam Saunderssee timetable
6see timetableThe greenhouse effect and global warmingSam Saunderssee timetable
7see timetableThe Aqueous Environment - composition of natural watersDylan Jayatilaka see timetable
8see timetableAcid-Base Equilibria Dylan Jayatilaka
9see timetableMetal complex Equilibria Dylan Jayatilaka
10see timetableThe solid-solution interface Dylan Jayatilaka
11see timetableredox reactions in natural watersDylan Jayatilaka
12see timetablebiogeochemical cyclesDylan Jayatilaka
13see timetableRevision

Teaching and Learning Responsibilities

Teaching and learning strategies

Charter of student rights and responsibilities

The University's charter of student rights is available at http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/charter

Student Guild contact details

Contact details for the University Student Guild can be found at http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au

Uses of student feedback

ACE/IRIS

All newly enrolled students (at any level) are rquired to complete the Academic Conduct Essentila (ACE) and the Introducory Research and Information Skills (IRIS-SCIE1130. More information on both these requirements can be found at http://www.ace.uwa.edu.au  and http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/scie/scie1130 . Both ACE and IRIS are completed online through your WebCT page (http://webct.uwa.edu.au ).

PLEASE NOTE:  IRIS in not a requirement for students enrolled in PSB Singapore. 

 

Assessment

Assessment overview

This comprises an end-of-semester examination (50 per cent), assignments (20 per cent) and laboratory work (30 per cent).

Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's pass degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete their course.

Assessment mechanism

#ComponentWeightDue DateRelates To Outcomes
1Final exam 2 hours50%End of semester exam1
2Assignments20%Continuous through semester2
3Laboratory30%Continuous through semester3

Assessment items

Item TitleDescription
Final examEnvironmental chemical problem solving
AssignmentsTopic critique, evaluation and essay writing
LaboratoryLab practice and report assessment

Academic literacy and academic misconduct

The University of Western Australia takes very seriously the matter of academic misconduct by students and has policies in place that define misconduct (including plagiarism) and the penalties that apply.  The consequences for misconduct can be severe, including exclusion from the University.

All students are expected to make themselves aware of the definitions and the policies relating to academic misconduct, found at the websites below, and with any additional requirements or stipulations that may be provided by individual coordinators. 

http://www.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/22173/Student_Misconduct_Info.pdf

http://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/tl4/for_uwa_staff/policies/student_related_policies/academic_conduct

Appeals against academic assessment

The full regulations governing appeals procedures are available in the University Handbook. available on-line at http://handbooks.uwa.edu.au/undergraduate/poliproc/StudentProcedures/AssessmentandExamination/Assessment/Appeals

Textbooks and Resources

Recommended Texts

 

Stumm, W  and Morgan, J.J. Aquatic Chemistry: Chemical Equilibria and Rates in Natural waters 3rd ed. 1996, Wiley Interscience

Baird, Colin, and Cann, M. Environmental Chemistry, 3nd Edition, 2005, W.H.Freeman and Company, NY.

VanLoon, Gary W. and Duffy, Stephen J., Environmental chemistry: A global perspective, 2000, Oxford University Press

Suggested Alternate Texts

Additional Texts

Wayne, Richard P., Chemistry of Atmospheres, Third edition, 2000, Oxford University Press.

Manahan, Stanley E., Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry, 1993, Lewis Publishers.
Spiro, Thomas G. and Stigliani, William M., Chemistry of the Environment, 2nd edition 2003, Prentice Hall.

Finlayson-Pitts, Barara J and Pitts, J.N., Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere: Theory, Experiments and Applications, 2000, Academic Press.

Technical Requirements

Software Requirements

Additional Resources and Reading

Other Important Information



Unit Information Management System

University information

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Last modified:
Wednesday, 9 September 2009 12:16 PM