Environmental Chemistry

Code:

Q310

Acronym:

Q310

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Chemistry

Instance: 2011/2012 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=2046
Responsible unit:	Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Physics

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L:AST	0	Plano de Estudos a partir de 2008	3	-	5	-
L:B	2	Plano de estudos a partir de 2008	3	-	5	-
L:BQ	5	Plano de Estudos a partir de 2007	3	-	5	-
L:CC	0	Plano de estudos de 2008 até 2013/14	3	-	5	-
L:F	0	Plano de estudos a partir de 2008	3	-	5	-
L:G	1	P.E - estudantes com 1ª matricula anterior a 09/10	3	-	5	-
		P.E - estudantes com 1ª matricula em 09/10	3	-	5	-
L:M	4	Plano de estudos a partir de 2009	3	-	5	-
L:Q	20	Plano de estudos Oficial	3	-	5	-
M:BGQ	2	Plano Estudos Mest Biol Gestão Qualidade Água	1	-	5	-
M:CTA	1	PE Mestrado Ciências e Tecnologia do Ambiente	1	-	5	-

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Improving scientific training in Environmental Chemistry:
1 – To apply the chemical principles to the understanding of environmental
phenomena, without forgetting the role of living organisms in these
phenomena.
2 - Combining the application of chemical principles to the greatest
challenge to humanity - the restoration, maintenance and improvement of
environmental quality.
Other objectives
Improving literacy:
- Ability to understand and interpret texts
- Ability to find information, synthesize (reduced to essentials) and
forward.

Program

1-GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1- Environment Science and Technology
1.2-The concept of sustainable development and current procedures to get
it.

2-CHEMISTRY OF THE AQUATIC MEDIUM
2.1- The Chemical Water Cycle. Basic aspects of the Chemistry of the
aquatic medium: Introduction. Gases in the water. Acidity of the water and
carbon dioxide in water. Alkalinity. Calcium and other metals in water.
Complexation and quelate formation. Bindings and structures of metal
complexes. Concentration species calculations. Polyphosphates in water.
Complexation by humic substances.Complexation and redox processes.

2.2-Redox phenomena. Meaning of oxidation-reduction phenomena. The
electron and the redox reactions. Activity of electron and pE. The Nernst
equation. The Nernst equation and chemical balance. Relations between pE
and free energy. The limits of pE in water. Values of pE in natural waters
systems. Diagrams pE-pH. Corrosion.

2.3-Interaction of phases. Chemical interactions involving solids, gases
and water. Formation and relevance of sediments. Solubility. Nature of
colloidal particles. Colloidal properties of the clays. Aggregation of
particles. Adsorption and absorption at the solids surface. Ion exchange
in the surface of sediments.

2.4-Introduction to Aquatic Microbial Biochemistry. Microbial changes of
carbon, nitrogen, phosphor, sulphur, halogens, organo-halogenated, metals
and semimetals speciation.

3-WATER POLLUTION
3.1-Nature and types of pollutants of the Aquatic Environment. Metals and
semi-metals as pollutants. Organometallic species. Inorganic species.
Organic species. Algae nutrients and eutrofization. Acidity, alkalinity
and salinity. Oxygen, oxidizing and reducing agents. Organic Pollutants.
Pesticides. Polychlorinatedbiphenyls in aquatic environment.

3.2- Water treatment. Treatment and use of water. Treatment of municipal
water. Treatment of water for industrial use. Wastewater treatment.
Industrial wastewater treatment. Removal of solids. Removal of dissolved
organic species, calcium, other metallic cations, and other dissolved
inorganic species. Sludge. Disinfection of water. Procedures for
purification of natural waters. Recycling and reuse of water.

4-THE ATMOSPHERE AND CHEMISTRY OF ATMOSPHERE
4.1-Relevance and characteristics of the earth atmosphere. Physical
characteristics. Transfer of energy. The stratospheric ozone layer and the
ozone layer destruction.
Transfer of mass, weather and climate. Temperature inversion and air
pollution. Global climate and microclimates. Greenhouse effect. Chemical
and photochemical reactions. Acid-base reactions.

4.2- Particles in the atmosphere. Physical behavior of the particles.
Physical and chemical processes for particle formation. The composition of
inorganic particles. Toxic metals. Radioactive particles. Composition of
organic particles. Effects of particles. Control of particle emissions.

4.3-Inorganic pollutants in the atmosphere.

4.4-Organic compounds in the atmosphere.

PRACTICAL

1 - PROBLEM SOLVING
1.1. Chemical equilibrium problems solving on aquatic media typical
species, including atmosphere-water column and water column-sediment
interfaces.
1.2. Oxidation-reduction phenomena in aquatic medium.
2 – LABORATORY WORKS

Mandatory literature

000091990. ISBN: 1-56670-633-5

Complementary Bibliography

000071891. ISBN: 0-19-856440-6
000060017. ISBN: 0-7167-3153-3
Baird, Colin e Cann, Michael; Environmental Chemistry, W. H. Freeman and Company, 2005. ISBN: 0-7167-4877-0

Teaching methods and learning activities

In addition to formal classes:
Written works on an environmental subject.
Small evaluation tests throughout the course on theoretic topics
and practical application problems:
-to promote the study all over the course
-acquiring progressively knowledge, the student also acquires interest for
the environmental topics, improving training and final mark.
Execution of experimental work of environmental interest at laboratory.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	56,00
	Total:	-	0,00

Eligibility for exams

Presence in 75% of the total number of practical sessions.

Calculation formula of final grade

A- Final exam classification: 60%
B- Tests: 25%
C- Synthetic text: 5%
D- Practical evaluation: 10 %
Failure to perform a test or the synthetic text imply the assignment of zero values ​​to these elements of evaluation.

Final classification: A x 0,60 + B x 0,25 + C x 0,05 + D x 0,10

Minimum acceptable classification in the final exam: 8.0 values in 20.0
values

These criteria applies to both in the first exam season and in the appeal.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Special cases
Written work on a subject in the ambit of the curricular unit and final exam.
The final score is calculated as follows: 15 % for the written work and
85 % for the final exam.

Classification improvement

Final score improvement: Written exam.
The final score is calculated according to the evaluation criterion of the academic year in which the student was approved.