Environmental Chemistry

Assignment

Presented to:

Professor Azmat

BSC II

Section E

Group Member

Rao Zeeshan

Anabia Faisal

Azka Shuaib

Zainab Kamran
The scientific study of chemical and biological phenomena that take place in the
environment is known as environmental chemistry. It shouldn't be mixed up with
green chemistry, which aims to stop pollution before it starts. It is the study of the
origins, processes, movements, outcomes, and destinies of chemical species in the
air, soil, and water environments, as well as the impact of biological and human
activity on these. In addition to extensively relying on analytical chemistry, being
related to environmental and other fields of research, and including atmospheric,
aquatic, and soil chemistry, environmental chemistry is an interdisciplinary field of
study.

Comprehending the functioning of the natural environment, the chemicals that are
present there naturally, their quantities, and the effects they have is the first step in
understanding environmental chemistry. Without it, it would be hard to thoroughly
research how chemicals released by humans affect the environment.

In order to analyse what is occurring to a chemical species in the environment,

environmental chemists use a variety of concepts from chemistry and other
environmental disciplines. Understanding chemical reactions and equations,
solutions, units, sampling, and analytical procedures are crucial general chemistry
concepts.

In order to analyse what is occurring to a chemical species in the environment,

environmental chemists use a variety of concepts from chemistry and other
environmental disciplines. Understanding chemical reactions and equations,
solutions, units, sampling, and analytical procedures are all crucial general
chemistry concepts.

Contaminant:
A material that is present in nature but at a higher level than expected or that would
not be there otherwise is considered a contamination. Human and biological
activities may be to blame for this. A chemical that negatively affects the
environment is referred to as a pollutant, and the terms "contaminant" and
"pollutant" are frequently used interchangeably. While a contaminant is frequently
characterised as a material present in the environment as a result of human activity,
but without adverse effects, there are occasions when toxic or damaging effects
from contamination don't manifest themselves until much later.

A sink is a chemical medium or species that retains and interacts with the
pollution, such as a carbon sink and its impacts by bacteria, whereas a receptor is a
creature, such as soil, that is impacted by the pollutant or contaminant, such as fish.

Environmental indicators:

Total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, nutrients (nitrates and phosphorus), heavy
metals, soil chemicals (including copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and mercury), and
pesticides are some of the chemical indicators of water quality. Other indicators
include dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and pH.

Applications:

The Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, the Association of

Public Analysts, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and other
environmental agencies and research bodies around the world use environmental
chemistry to detect and characterise the nature and source of pollutants. These may
consist of:
 industrial poisoning of land with heavy metals. These can then be brought
into bodies of water where live things can absorb them.
 Large bodies of water that have been affected by oil leaks or spills contain
PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon). Numerous PAHs are highly
hazardous and carcinogenic. Utilizing laboratory testing for environmental
chemistry and chromatography, they are regulated by concentration (ppb).
 Leaching nutrients from agricultural land into waterways, which can cause
eutrophication and algae blooms.
 During rainstorms, contaminants from the city runoff wash off roofs,
parking lots, and other impervious surfaces. Typical contaminants include
metals, nutrients, silt, motor oil, gasoline, and other hydrocarbon chemicals
(soil).
 Organometallic substances
 Environmental Chemistry investigates all of the chemicals' danger concerns
in-depth to provide a solution for the environment's safety.
 It is used to study new products and their environmental effects.
 Groundwater that has been contaminated by soil, dust, and waste materials is
protected using environmental chemistry.
 Through the processes of sedimentation, bacteriological, and radiation, it
helps to protect surface water from pollution.
 Environmental chemical techniques, such as the use of indicators like
ecotoxicological and chemical tests, are used to safeguard soil quality.
 Impervious surfaces found in cities, such as parking lots, rooftops, and
roadways, are prone to collecting unwelcome pollutants like metals, motor
oil, gasoline, fertilisers, and sediment (soil).
  Waste Management and Cleaner Production are two areas where
environmental chemistry is used.

Methods:

Since it offers the information used to frame most environmental research,

quantitative chemical analysis is a crucial component of environmental chemistry.

Classical wet chemistry methods like gravimetric, titrmetric, and electrochemical

techniques are frequently utilised as analytical procedures for quantitative
determinations in environmental chemistry. For the detection of trace metals and
chemical molecules, more complex methods are employed. Atomic spectroscopy
and mass spectrometry, such as Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) and
Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission (ICP-AES) or Inductively Coupled
Plasma Mass Spectrometric (ICP-MS) techniques, are frequently used to measure
the composition of metals. Mass spectrometric techniques, such as liquid
chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry (GC/MS), are frequently used to test organic chemicals, including
PAHs. Subpart per trillion detection is possible using tandem mass spectrometry
MS/MS and high resolution/accurate mass spectrometry HR/AM. Non-MS
techniques using GCs and LCs with general or specialised detectors are still
mainstays of the analytical toolbox. Radiochemicals are additional variables that
are frequently assessed in environmental chemistry. These are contaminants that
endanger the environment and human health by emitting radioactive materials like
alpha and beta particles. The most popular tools for making these measurements
are particle counters and scintillation counters. For the purpose of assessing the
toxicity of chemical effects on various organisms, bioassays and immunoassays are
used. Through the isolation and amplification of certain DNA and RNA genes,
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is able to identify the species of bacteria and
other organisms, and it is demonstrating promise as a useful method for
determining environmental microbial contamination.

Published analytical methods:

Governmental and commercial research institutions have released peer-reviewed

test methodologies.  To establish conformity with regulatory standards, testing
must be conducted using approved published techniques.

What is chemical pollution?

When chemicals that are not normally present in our environment are introduced,
this is referred to as chemical pollution. However, how serious is the issue of
chemical pollution and how does it impact our environment and health?

Chemicals are present in everything, including the items we use, the air we
breathe, and the food we eat. The majority of chemicals are created by humans and
have a wide range of uses. As a result, they are utilised widely in a variety of
operations, including those in agriculture, industry, and the manufacture of goods
for the home and body. Chemicals may seep into the environment during
production, storage, transport, and disposal.

How does chemical pollution affect our environment?

The delicate equilibrium of the Earth's ecosystems can be impacted by chemical

pollution.

Significant soil pollution has been brought on by mining, agriculture, and waste
disposal. Heavy metals like cadmium, mercury, and lead can degrade soil fertility
by reducing the diversity of microorganisms that maintain it. Biodiversity and
population food production are both influenced by the condition of the soil. There
are several "dead zones" in the ocean where there is insufficient oxygen for life to
exist as a result of plastic and other chemical pollution. Marine biodiversity has
also been damaged by high or extended exposure to hazardous substances.

What is environmental chemistry used for?

Environmental chemists study how pollutants—typically toxins—pass through the

environment. The "fate and conveyance" of chemicals is a reference to this. They
also investigate how these chemicals affect humans, livestock, and wildlife.

How is chemistry used in daily life?

We deal with chemistry on a daily basis. We spend the entire day studying
chemistry. Everyday chemistry can be found in the foods we eat, the air we
breathe, cleaning products, our emotions, and pretty much anything we can see or
touch. Chemical compounds, which are mixtures of ingredients, make up our
bodies.

Components of environment:
There are three key categories that make up the environmental chemistry
component.

 Abiotic substances
 biological elements
 energy sources

Abiotic components:

Abiotic components are any elements of our ecosystem's non-living ambient

chemistry. The lithosphere contains these. The environmental chemistry elements
that are present in our surroundings could be,

 Oxygen and nitrogen gas from the sun

 Temperature and the pH scale for acid and base solutions
 Water

Biotic components of ecosystem:

The term "biotic factors" refers to the study of biological elements in our
environment in environmental chemistry. The biotic elements in our
environment may consist of:

 Animals including human

 plants
Energy components of environment:

Globally, end-to-end hydrocarbon production, transportation, and sales are led by

energy components in environmental chemistry for the purpose of generating
income. They might consist of

 sustainable power (solar energy, geochemical, hydroelectric power)

 Chemical drive
 nuclear energy

Origin of life in environmental chemistry:

3 billion years ago, after environmental changes, life first appeared on Earth.
Miller and Urey demonstrated in 1953 that the substantial amino acids produced by
lighting discharges through a mixture of methane gas, water, ammonia, and
hydrogen are used by our planet. As a result, it generates a large quantity of amino
acids, a necessary component of life.

Abelson demonstrated how carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and a trace amount of

hydrogen cyanide are affected by sun photon particles. However, the chemical
bonding of hydrogen cyanide and other biological ambient variables resulted in the
formation of glycine, adenine, and other biologically relevant products. In order to
create environmental living beings, these chemical components go through a series
of sophisticated chemical analyses spanning millions of years.

In environmental chemistry, photosynthesis first appeared in the earth's atmosphere

about 2.5 billion years ago. As a result, our planet eventually fills up with
dioxygen, supporting aerobic life. The development of today's numerous biological
processes is largely attributed to this form of life.

Importance of environmental chemistry:

Studies of our environment's soil, water, and air pollution, as well as the necessary
corrective actions to rid it of this pollution, are the primary objectives of environmental
science or chemistry.

Pollutants are compounds that are found in the soil, water, and air that have an
unfavourable impact on both plants and animals. Recycle household goods to protect
our environment from this pollution. Among them are trash, sewage, garbage, and a
great deal of hazardous industrial waste.

In order to preserve our environment from the dangerous environmental elements used
in our daily lives, the study of green chemistry was first presented in 1990.

Some chemicals created by the oxidation of chemical reactions used every day are
hazardous. Therefore, we must reduce the amount of harmful substances released into
the atmosphere. Utilizing compounds produced by diverse oxidation processes, the
endeavour has been made.

The ultraviolet emission spectrum, sound waves, microwaves, and chemical catalysts
(enzymes) are all damaging to our environment, according to environmental
chemistry.