Environmental Chemistry   (1505P)

Academic year:

2012/2013.

Attendance requirements:

1101A + 1102A

ECTS:

5

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Aleksandar R. Popović, Ph.D.
full professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistant:

Dubravka J. Relić, Ph.D.
associate professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: two hours of lectures + three hours of labwork (2+0+3)

Goals:

Major goal of the course is to familiarize students with basic processes in the environment and chemical foundations, characteristics and causes of the processes occurring in atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, most important pollutants and fundamental chemical reactions responsible for their transformation in the environment.

Outcome:

Most important outcome of this course is to develop in student minds clear connection between theoretical physical and chemical laws and conditions and processes in the environment.

Teaching methods:

Lectures and labwork.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

1. P. Pfendt: Environmental Chemistry - part 1. Textbook Publishing Co., Belgrad, 2009.
2. D. Veselinovic, I. Grzetic, S. Djarmati, D. Markovic: Physicochemical foundations of environmental protection - book 1: Conditions and processes in the environment (in Serbian), Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Belgrade, 2005.
3. D. Markovic, S. Djarmati, I. Grzetic, D. Veselinovic: Physicochemical foundations of environmental protection - book 2: Sources of pollution, consequences and protection (in Serbian), University of Belgrade, 2005.

Supplementary coursebooks:

1. R. Wayne: Chemistry of Atmosphere, Oxford University Press, 2002.
2. G. W. van Loon, C. J. Duffy: Environmental Chemistry - A Global Perspective, Oxford University Press, 2005.
3. C. Baird, M. Cann: Environmental Chemistry, W. H. Freeman and Co., 2005.

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

0 points (2 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Pollutants. Thermal pollution of surface waters. Eutrophication.
2. Classification of environmental pollutants. Plants and microorganisms as chemical factors in environment.
3. Redox conditions in water and soil. Soil formation and composition. Inroganic and organic components of soil.
4. Humic substances. Chemical processes in soil. Classification of soil pollutants.
5. Sources of food and agricultural product’ pollution. The most important pollutants of food. Chemical barrier.
6. Chemodynamics of pollutants. Bioconcentration and biomagnification. Origins of Earths atmosphere. Structure of atmosphere.
7. Specificities of atmospheric chemistry. Aerosol. Stratospheric and tropospheric aerosol. The basic chemistry of ozone layer.
8. Anthropogenic destruction of ozone layer. Smog.
9. The “green-house” effect. Acid rains. Composition of troposphere air.
10. Biogenic and geochemical sources of components of tropospheric air. Atmospheric reactions forming components of tropospheric air.
11. Interactions of gases and water aerosol. Carbon dioxide/carbonate equilibrium. Natural sources of air pollution. Air self-purification process.
12. Structure of clean water. Physical characteristics of clean water. Isotopic composition of natural waters. Other characteristics of natural waters.
13. Water as dispersing environment. Thermal stratification of waters. Sulphur compounds in waters.
14. Alkalinity and acidity of waters. Iron in waters. Origin of cations in waters. Organic substances in waters.
15. Water as a life-occurring media. Saprobic levels. Hydrological cycle. Chemodynamics of rain water.

Labwork:

0 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Physico-chemical characteristics of natural waters.
2. Chemical oxygen demand (COD).
3. Eutrophication.
4. Determination of sulphur-dioxide in the air.
5. Alkalinity and acidity of natural waters.
6. Carbon-dioxide/carbonate equilibrium.
7. Determination of benzene, toluene and xylene in the air.
8. Humic substances in soil.
9. Adsorption.

Colloquia:

30 points

Written exam:

70 points