Chemical and Physical

Hazards
Can We Predict Hazards Posed
by a Material Based on it’s
Properties?

Chemical and Physical Hazards

Definitions Used in Environmental
Technology
• Common words take on literal, legal
definitions
• Words used to describe substances must
be carefully chosen

Chemical and Physical Hazards

Example: Hazardous Material
Substance or material (which has been
determined by the Secretary of DOT to be)
capable of posing an unreasonable risk to
health, safety, or property when transported
in commerce and which has been so
designated.

(DOT Definition)

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 Definitions con’t
Broader non-regulatory definitions describe
hazardous materials as:
• “chemical substances, which if released or
misused can pose a threat to the environment or
health”
• “explosives, flammable and combustible
substances, poisons, and radioactive materials”
• “released as a result of transportation accidents
or chemical accidents at industrial facilities”
• “used in industry, agriculture, medicine,
research, and consumer goods”

Hazards con’t
• Chemical
• Physical hazards
– explosives
– flammable atmospheres
– asphyxiating atmospheres
– non-ionizing radiation
– ionizing radiation
– Work-related hazards: repetitive motion, falls, crush,
pinch
• Infectious (biological) hazards

Some Chemistry for

Environmental Technologists:
Basics And Practical Applications

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 Chemistry
science of matter, energy, and their
reactions
109 different elements
• 89 of these elements are naturally
occurring
• elements organized into groups and
periods on the Periodic Table
• elements with similar chemical and
physical properties in same groups

Non halogens
metals
Periodic Table Noble gases

Alkali metals

Alkaline earth
metals
Red=gas, blue=liquid, green=synthetic, remainder=solid

Elements
Cannot be subdivided or broken down into
simpler substances by ordinary chemical
change.
• Each element contains a unique number
of electrons, protons and neutrons
• Atomic weight
• Atomic number – number of protons

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Number of
electrons in
outermost
shell plays
important role
in its
chemical
behavior

Number of
electrons
related to
number of
protons

Compounds or Molecules
• Atoms can exist in a "pure" elemental form
or can bond with other atoms to form
molecules (like copper sulfate [CuSO 4]
and acetic acid [CH3COOH])

• Bonds – take energy to form, liberate

energy when broken
– Ionic
– Covalent
• https://youtu.be/OTgpN62ou24

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 Periodic Table

Tend to form ionic compounds with each other

Do not react with any atoms

Ionic Solid – Crystalline NaCl

Polar covalent molecule

Ions

Ionic compounds are very soluble in water but not

very soluble in non-polar solvents

Solution = a uniform mixture of two or more

substances existing in a single phase

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 Compounds or Molecules
• The type of atoms found in a molecule
dictate bonding and chemical and physical
characteristics

• Hazard properties align closely with

chemical and physical properties

Classification of Molecules
• Inorganic molecules vs. organic molecules

Non-polar organic solvent

+ O2 and a spark CO2 + H2O

Inorganic carbon
dioxide

The Organic Molecule Hexane A ‘decomposition’ reaction

Classification of Molecules
• Inorganic molecules vs. organic molecules

PbS PbSO4 PbCO3 Pb(OH)2

lead lead lead lead
sulfide sulfate carbonate hydroxide
not low low Somewhat
soluble in solubility solubility soluble in
water in water in water water

Inorganic Lead Compounds with varying solubility

Lesson: change a lead compound around and you still have lead

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 Inorganic Molecules
Generally don’t include Carbon
• Metals
– heavy metal: Any metal that has a specific gravity greater than about 5,
especially one, such as lead, that is poisonous and may be a hazard in the
environment
• Many radioactive materials
• Many Ions and minerals dissolved in water
• Many fertilizers
• Certain herbicides (e.g. copper sulfate), fungicides (Hg), and old
style insecticides (As)
• Certain acids and bases
• Ammonia gas
• Chlorine gas or liquid forms of chlorine like bleach
• Non-biological components of soil, water, air - Earth
• Limestone
• Noble gases

Organic Molecules
Contain carbon bonded to various atoms like
H,O, N, P, S
• Naturally occurring organics are usually
from biological sources

Major Classes of organic molecules

• Volatile organic compounds (VOC)
• Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC)

Additional Ways to Categorize

Organics
• Aliphatics and aromatics
• Alcohols
• Hydrocarbons
– Petroleum hydrocarbons from crude oil
– Chlorinated hydrocarbons, synthetic
• Dioxins
• Organometallic compounds
• Mixed hazardous waste (e.g. radioactive
organic solvents)

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 Additional Ways to Categorize
Organics
• Base/neutral/acid compounds (BNAs)
• Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, Arochlor)
• Aldehydes and Ketones
• Pesticides
– Herbicides
– Insect growth regulators (IGRs)
• Organic fertilizers - urea

Chemical and Physical

Properties

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 Comparing Properties
Standard conditions
• Pressure = 1 atmosphere or 760 mmHg
• Temperature = 0°C, 15°C, or even 20°C
• STP

Quick Introduction to
Concentration
• Metric system unavoidable
• ppm = mg/kg = mg/l
• ppb = µg/kg = µg/l
• 1% solution = 10,000 ppm

• mg/kg and mg/l are preferred over ppm

and %

Physical States of Matter

Gas/Vapor State
Volatilization
Evaporation

Boiling Point - BP
&
fume production

Increasing Temperature
Sublimation –

Liquid State

↑ Melting Point/Freezing Point (FRZ)↓

Solid State

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 Physical State
• Molecules can exist in each state at the
same time
– Consider ice, liquid water and water vapor
• Plays important role in availability to living
things

Chemical and Physical Properties

• Vapor pressure (VP) – mm Hg
– the pressure exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic
equilibrium with its condensed phases (solid or liquid) at
a given temperature in a closed system
• Flashpoint (Fl.P.) - °C or °F
– the lowest temperature at which a liquid can form an
ignitable mixture in air near the surface of the liquid
• Lower Explosive Limit/Upper Explosive Limit
(LEL/UEL) - volume % or concentration in air
• Boiling point (BP) - °C or °F

Comparison of Common
Physical/Chemical Characteristics
BP VP Fl.P LEL UEL
Chemical Characteristics
(°F) (mm Hg) (°F) (%) (%)

Acetone Ketone
133 180 0 2.5 12.8 Polar, water-miscible organic solvent

Aluminum metal Inorganic solid element

4221 0 - - -

Ammonia Corrosive inorganic gas

-28 6460 n/a 15 28

Ethylene glycol Antifreeze

388 0.06 232 3.2 15.3 Clear, viscous organic liquid,

Hexane Cyclohexane is an aromatic hydrocarbon;

156 124 -7 1.1 7.5 Non-polar, water-insoluble organic solvent

Methylene Chlorinated, organic solvent

chloride 104 350 ? 13 23

Sodium chloride Inorganic ionic solid, crystalline salt

2669 n/a - - -

BP = Boiling Point; VP = Vapor Pressure; Fl.P=Flash Point; LEL/UEL=Lower/Upper Explosive Limit; Sp.Grav=Specific Gravity; Vap.Den=Vapor Density

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 Chemical and Physical Properties

• Solubility [SOL(°F)] - %
– maximum amount of a material that can be dissolved in given quantity
of solvent (often water) at a given temperature
• Vapor density – unitless
– relative weight of a gas or vapor compared to air, which has an
arbitrary value of one
• Specific Gravity (Sp.Gr.) of Liquids and Solids
– the ratio of the density of any substance to the density of some other
substance taken as standard, water being the standard for liquids and solids,
and hydrogen or air being the standard for gases
– Density of solid or liquid = g/ml; specific gravity = unitless

• Chemical affinity or sorption

Comparison of Common
Physical/Chemical Characteristics
Solubility Specific
Chemical Vapor Density Characteristics
(%) Gravity

Acetone Ketone
miscible 0.79 2 Polar, water-miscible organic solvent

Aluminum metal Inorganic solid element

insoluble 2.70 n/a

Ammonia gas 0.60 Corrosive inorganic gas

34 0.59
(gas den)

Ethylene glycol Antifreeze

miscible 1.11 2.14 Clear, viscous organic liquid,

Hexane Cyclohexane is an aromatic hydrocarbon;

0.002 0.66 3.0 Non-polar, water-insoluble organic solvent

Methylene Chlorinated, organic solvent

chloride 2 1.33 2.9

Sodium chloride Inorganic ionic solid, crystalline salt

very 2.165 n/a

BP = Boiling Point; VP = Vapor Pressure; Fl.P=Flash Point; LEL/UEL=Lower/Upper Explosive Limit; Sp.Grav=Specific Gravity; Vap.Den=Vapor Density

Comparison of Common
Physical/Chemical Characteristics
BP VP Fl.P LEL UEL Solubility
Chemical Sp. Grav. Vap. Den. Characteristics
(°F) (mm Hg) (°F) (%) (%) (%)

Acetone Ketone
133 180 0 2.5 12.8 miscible 0.79 2 Polar, water-miscible organic
solvent

Aluminum Inorganic solid element

metal 4221 0 - - - insoluble 2.70 -

Ammonia 0.60 Corrosive inorganic gas

gas -28 6460 n/a 15 28 34 0.59
(gas den)

Ethylene Antifreeze
glycol 388 0.06 232 3.2 15.3 miscible 1.11 2.14 Clear, viscous organic liquid,

Hexane Cyclohexane is an aromatic

hydrocarbon;
156 124 -7 1.1 7.5 0.002 0.66 3.0 Non-polar, water-insoluble
organic solvent

Methylene Chlorinated, organic solvent

chloride 104 350 ? 13 23 2 1.33 2.9

Sodium Inorganic ionic solid,

chloride 2669 n/a - - - very 2.165 n/a crystalline salt

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