Environmental Chemistry

Outcomes• identify common organic and inorganic substances that are essential

to the health and growth of humans and other living things,• describe, in general terms, the forms of organic matter synthesized

by plants and animals, including carbohydrates, proteins and lipids• are difficult for organisms to break down or eliminate (e.g., DDT,

mercury)• identify questions that may need to be addressed in deciding what

substances - in what amounts - can be safely released into the environment 

• identify substrates and nutrient sources for living things within a variety of environments

• investigate and evaluate potential risks resulting from consumer practices and industrial processes, and identify processes used in providing information and setting standards to manage these risks 

Why Study Environmental

Chemistry?• Coca Cola as a Pesticide?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bww1gbyNnhQ

• Why do you think the people of India used cola as a pesticide?

Introduction• Complete Give it a Try on Page 183

• Look at Figure 1.1 and a periodic table to figure out how the elements are represented in the environment.

• 5 minutes, You can Sign out your device, and sign it in once the research is complete

Chemicals in the Environment

• All matter is made up of chemicals, which is made up of elements

• Some chemicals are a part of living creatureso Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and potassium

• Some chemicals are necessary for lifeo Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins

• Some chemicals can be harmful to living creatureso Mercury

Organic and Inorganic

• Our bodies need 25 elements for normal growth• Organic Molecules are molecules that contain

carbono Ex. Sugar, protein, fat, starch

• Inorganic Molecules are molecules that do not contain carbono Ex. Magnesium and calcium

Macronutrients• Nutrients are elements and compounds that

organisms need for living, growing and reproducing• Plants obtain their nutrients from the air, water,

and soil.• There are 9 elements called macronutrients which

are needed in large amounts in our bodieso Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium,

Magnesium, Calcium, Sulfur

• Micronutrients are needed in trace amounts in our bodieso Selenium

Complete the table in your notes with a partner. Look at Page 197!

MacronutrientsNutrient Why is it important for

people

Nitrogen (N) Makes up proteins and DNAHelps with growth and repair

Phosphorus (P) Part of bones, teeth and DNA

Potassium (K) Helps with muscles and nerves

Magnesium (Mg) Composes bones and teeth

Calcium (Ca) Composes bones and teethNecessary for blood clotting

Sulfur (S) Necessary for protein synthesisHelps activate enzymes

What’s the Right Amount

• When we look at the optimum amount, it is the amount that provides an organism with the best health.

• Examples: Copper for Hair Colour, Selenium and Chromium for body Function.

• What might happen if we have too much?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8m5PFuYRSI• Start at 6:00

What are Organic Molecules?

• In your Letter groups, work to come up with a definition and an example of the following organic molecules, when finished, pick a representative to write up the information on the board.o Lipidso Carbohydrateso Nucleic Acidso Proteins

Carbohydrates• Carbohydrates are organic molecules made up of

carbon, hydrogen, and oxygeno Ex. Rice, bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables

• Glucose is a simpler sugar made by plants that is made when carbohydrates break down

• Glucose is the primary food of the brain• Complex carbohydrates are chains of glucose

moleculeso Ex. Starch

Lipids (Fats)• Fats, oils and waxes are lipids• Lipids are compounds made of carbon, hydrogen

and oxygen• Plants produce lipids

o Canola oil

• Our bodies also produce lipids and also need to eat lipidso Milk products, oils on our skin, fat in our body

Proteins and Amino Acids

• Proteins control our bodies and are made by DNA• Used for growth, repair and a source of energy.

They are also the main component of a catalyst.• We are eating protein when we eat meat and

alternativeso Eggs, fish, meat, dairy products

• Proteins are made up of amino acids which combine together into a chaino Nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and some contain sulfur

Nucleic Acids• Nucleic acids are the largest and most

complicated molecule found in living things• Nucleic acids are DNA and RNA and are made up

ofo Phosphateo Sugar ring called ribose (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen)o Nitrogen containing molecules

Testing for Organic Molecules

• Write observations from Simulationhttp://amrita.olabs.co.in/?sub=79&brch=15&sim=121&cnt=4

Test Product

Result (+/-)

Observation

Carrot    

Wheat    

Apple    

Egg    

Tomato    

Oats    

Potato    

Bread    

Testing for Organic Molecules

• Glucose: Benedict’s Solution turns from blue to yellow-orange-red

• Starch: Iodine Solution turns from red-brown to black

• Protein: Biuret Solution turns from blue to purple

To Do:• Complete Give It a Try – Organic or Inorganic?• Complete question 19 from page 267,• Create a Concept Map from what you learned

today!

Outcomes• identify common organic and inorganic substances

that are essential to the health and growth of humans and other living things,

• describe and illustrate processes by which chemicals are introduced to the environment or their concentrations are changed

• identify questions that may need to be addressed in deciding what substances - in what amounts - can be safely released into the environment 

• identify substrates and nutrient sources for living things within a variety of environments

 

Chemicals in the Environment

• All matter is made up of chemicals, which is made up of elements

• Some chemicals are a part of living creatureso Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and potassium

• Some chemicals can be harmful to living creatureso Mercury

Nitrogen CycleRead though page 184 in your textbook with your symbol group, and identify what’s going on in the picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ofDiXF1HpA

Facts about the Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrogen cycles through the air, into the soil, into plants and animals and back into the air

• Regular air is about 78% nitrogen gas (N2)

• Nitrogen is an important component of DNA

• In the air nitrogen is a gas which cannot be used by plants and animals

• Nitrogen can be fixed (changed) in three different wayso Lighteningo Bacteria in the nodules on different kinds of plant rootso Bacteria in the soil

• After the nitrogen is fixed it can be taken in by plants through their roots

What kind of relationship occurs between the nodules and roots?

• Nitrates are taken in by plants and the nitrogen is converted into a part of DNA

• Bacteria can allow nitrates in the soil to turn back to N2(g) to go back into the environment

• After plants take in nitrogen, animals eat the plants and use the nitrogen in their own DNA

• When animals poop, it is decomposed and the nitrogen is released

• When plants and animals die the nitrogen returns to the soil and environment

• And it CYCLES!

• The amount of nitrogen (or of water) can vary in different areas

• If an area has too little nitrogen farmers add fertilizers or plant nitrogen-fixing plants to try and solve the problem

• What occurs when an area is lacking water?

Definition• An issue is a subject of importance where people

often have strong, conflicting points of view• A fertilizer is a substance added to soil to ensure

plants will grow better• A pest is an organism that harms people, crops

or structures• A pesticide is a chemical that is used to kill

pests

Agriculture Activities• Many people who have large scale farms use

fertilizers and pesticides to be successful.

• After talking about fertilizers and pesticides, answer the think about it question.

• Do you believe that Farms need to use pesticides and fertilizers?

Types of Pesticides• 1) Herbicide- a chemical used to destroy

unwanted plants• 2) Insecticide- a chemical used to destroy

unwanted insects• 3) Fungicide- a chemical used to destroy

unwanted fungi

Fertilizers• Fertilizers have a set of 3 numbers on them• The numbers stand for the amount of NITROGEN-

PHOSPHORUS-POTASSIUM

• Ex. 15-30-15• 15% Nitrogen• 30% Phosphorus• 15% Potassium

What’s the Content of these Fertilizers?

Solid Wastes• Solid wastes is waste given off by homes,

industrial plants, commercial buildings, construction and demolition sites

• Solid waste is usually put into landfill sites• Incinerators burn hazardous wastes and the

emissions from this may contribute to air pollution.

• Sanitary landfills are built to keep water from entering the soilo They use plastic liners and compacted clay to keep the groundwater

from leaching into the ground water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg1tEKILiR4

Wastewater• Sewage is waste water that contains dissolved

and undissolved material from your kitchen, bathroom and laundry

• A septic tank is an underground tank where bacteria break down organic materials

• Effluent (aka treated wastewater) is released into rivers- may still contain extra nitrogen and phosphorus- this can cause alga bloom as the algae in the water uses the fertilizers to bloom

• Where does the storm water go?

Combustion of Fuels• Fossil fuels are fuel sources that were made by

dead plants and animals (the flood?)• Fossil fuels are natural gas, coal and oil• Fossil fuels are called hydrocarbons because they

are made of carbon and hydrogen• When do we use hydrocarbons?

• The combustion of fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide and water vaporo Hydrocarbon + oxygen water + carbon dioxide + energy

• Examples of natural gases: methane, propane, butane and octane (gas)

Think about it• Can carbon be recycled?

Incomplete Combustion

• When there is not enough oxygen for regular combustion to occur, carbon dioxide is not produced but carbon monoxide is produced

• Why is this an issue?

• If fossil fuels have nitrogen or sulfur in it, then nitrates, nitrites, sulfates and sulfites can be produced

• These 4 compounds are a part of air pollution

Pollution• Pollution is any change in the environment that

produces a condition that is harmful to living things

• Examples?

To Do:• Complete review questions in booklet

Outcomes• describe and illustrate processes by which chemicals are

introduced to the environment or their concentrations are changed

• describe the uptake of materials by living things through ingestion or absorption, and investigate and describe evidence that some materials are difficult for organisms to break down or eliminate (e.g., DDT, mercury)

• identify questions that may need to be addressed in deciding what substances - in what amounts - can be safely released into the environment 

• identify substrates and nutrient sources for living things within a variety of environments

• investigate and evaluate potential risks resulting from consumer practices and industrial processes, and identify processes used in providing information and setting standards to manage these risks 

Uptake of Substances by Plants

• There are three basic ways that substances enter plant rootso 1) Diffusiono 2) Osmosiso 3) Active Transport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Dm06BsYBI

Ms. Nielsen Food Dye Diffusion Demo!

Diffusion• Diffusion means the passive movement of

particles• Diffusion does not require energy to occur• Diffusion is the movement of particles from an

area of high concentration to low concentration• Molecules naturally diffuse into the roots of plants

• Example in air: Spraying air freshener

Osmosis• Osmosis is similar to diffusion- water molecules

moving away from a high concentration of other water molecules

• More water gets absorbed into the roots as water in the plant is used up by the plant

• Osmosis= water

Active Transport• Plants undergo active transport when they move

molecules into their roots that are already at a high concentration within their roots

• It takes energy for the plants to move these molecules the opposite of where they would go if they were diffusing

• There are specific proteins in the plants that move molecules such as sulphur, nitrogen, and potassium into the roots

Ingestion and Absorption of

Materials by Animals• Humans and animals absorb nutrients by eating

or ingesting plants or other animals• We chew our food so that there is higher surface

area of the food to be digested and so that the nutrients can be absorbed

• We break down food physically (chewing) and chemically through enzymes and acids in our stomachs

• As the food moves through our stomachs and intestines the nutrients are absorbed into our bloodstream and flow until they are taken up by cells that need the nutrients

• The breakdown of large organic molecules is called hydrolysis

Substrates• Describe a substrate and an example of an

organism on a substrate in 10 words or less…

Choking Lake Winnipeg

• Complete Choking Lake Winnipeg Video and Questions.