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• STSE Features
- Chemistry Connections [Page 52]
- Case Study [Pages 14-15]

• Chapter 7 Investigations [Pages 16-22]

• Chapter 7 Summary [Pages 23-24]

• Chapter 7 Review [Pages 24-29]

• Chapter 7 Self-Assessment [Pages 30-31]

STSE
CHEMISTRY Connections
Hemoglobin Rises to the Challenge
When people travel to the mountains, they often feel tired
and light-headed for a time because the mountain air
contains fewer oxygen molecules, as shown in the graph
below. Over time, the fatigue lessens. The body adapts by
producing more of the protein hemoglobin.
HEMOGLOBIN-OXYGEN EQUILIBRIUM Hemoglobin, Hb,
binds with oxygen molecules that enter your bloodstream,
producing oxygenated hemoglobin, Hb(O2)4. The
equilibrium of hemoglobin and oxygen is represented as
follows:
Hb(aq) + 4O2(g)  Hb(O2)4(aq)
IN THE LUNGS When you breathe, oxygen molecules move
into your blood. The equilibrium reacts to the stress
by consuming oxygen molecules at an increased rate.
The equilibrium shifts to the right, increasing the blood
concentration of Hb(O2)4(aq).
Hb(aq) + 4O2(g)
IN THE TISSUES When the Hb(O2)4 reaches body tissues
where oxygen concentrations are low, the equilibrium
shifts to the left, releasing oxygen to enable the metabolic
processes that produce energy.
Hb(aq) + 4O2(g) Hb(O2)4(aq)
Partial Pressure of Oxygen (mm Hg)
Oxygen and Elevation
Sea level
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0 1. Conduct research and write a brief summary
0 2
Altitude (km)
On the summit, the partial pressure of O2 is much lower than
at the base of the mountain. Therefore, each breath a person
draws contains fewer O2 molecules.
IN THE MOUNTAINS The equilibrium reacts to the stress of
thin mountain air by producing oxygen at an increased rate.
The shift to the left releases oxygen molecules in your lungs,
leaving less oxygenated hemoglobin in your blood.
Hb(aq) + 4O2(g)
52 MHR • Unit 4 Chemical Systems and Equilibrium
The lower blood concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin
means that fewer oxygen molecules are released in other parts
of your body. Because less energy is produced, you feel tired.
THE BODY ADJUSTS Your body responds to the lower oxygen
concentration by producing more hemoglobin, part of a
process known as acclimatization. More hemoglobin shifts
the equilibrium position back to the right.
Hb(aq) + 4O2(g) Hb(O2)4(aq)
The increased concentration of Hb(O2)4(aq) means that more
oxygen molecules can be released in your body tissues. The
illustration below shows where climbers might adjust their
bodies to high elevations before beginning their summit climb.
Lhotse
Nuptse
Camp IV
Hb(O2)4(aq)
Camp III
Everest Camp II
Camp I
Khumbu
Icefall
Base Camp
On Mount Everest, a climber might ascend to Camp II, descend
to Base Camp, and then ascend to Camp III over the course of
several days to prepare for a summit climb.
Connect to Society
Summit Mt. Everest
4 6 8
describing the treatment for altitude sickness,
including how equilibrium is restored.
2. Deliberately shifting equilibrium in the human body
can provide advantages. Conduct research to find out
why some athletes train at high altitudes. Present your
findings in a brief report to the class.
3. Blood doping is a problem in many sports. What is
blood doping and how is this related to equilibrium?
What species in the equilibrium is altered? How does
Hb(O2)4(aq) this affect an athlete’s ability to compete?
STSE

Case Study
Site Remediation
Equilibrium in Action

Scenario

Researchers at a university in your community have just
issued a press release, shown on the next page, reporting
findings that the inner harbour of the nearby Cataraqui
River is contaminated with high levels of mercury. This area
was once the site of at least 40 industries. Although many
of these industries have shut down, their environmental
footprint is still present. Contaminants detected over the
years have included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals
such as chromium, copper, and lead. Prior to the university
study, however, researchers had never looked closely at the
distribution of mercury in the soil and how it was moving
through the groundwater in the area.
The worst area of mercury contamination is near the
Cataraqui Canoe Club just south of the former Davis Tannery.
Most of the mercury contamination is in the shoreline
soil, but rain is also washing the contaminated soil near
the canoe club into the river. Because the river drains into
Lake Ontario, there is risk of the mercury contamination
spreading even farther into the environment. As a member
of the rowing team at the Cataraqui Canoe Club and a
resident of the area, you are concerned about the possible
effects of mercury contamination on the environment,
wildlife, and humans.
The Power of Community Activism
You recall a successful site remediation project undertaken
in 2004 in Belleville, Ontario. The citizens of Belleville
learned that waste from a former landfill and coal/fuel
storage sites had caused contaminants including PAHs and
heavy metals such as copper, lead, and zinc to leach into
the groundwater. Like the Cataraqui Canoe Club near your
home, the contaminated site in Belleville was located
on prime land—an urbanized area
on the waterfront. Citizens saw great
potential in their harbour—if only they
could clean up the land and make sure
the waterline was kept free of harmful
contaminants. By winning the attention
and support of government agencies,
members of the community succeeded in
transforming what was once unusable space
into a vibrant, revitalized marina and public
park. These redevelopment efforts were part
of a long-term project, now known as “Jane
Forrester Park ,” that, to this day, continues to
inspire investment in the waterfront area of
Belleville, Ontario.

Jane Forrester Park was once a toxic contaminated

area due to wastes from industries and from the
coal storage site shown in the photograph on the
left. It is now a safe marina and public park.

14 MHR • Unit 4 Chemical Systems and Equilibrium

 Research and Analyze
1. Conduct research to find out more about the
release of mercury into the environment. What are
some possible effects on the health of people and
organisms living within a region contaminated by
mercury?

2. Research the regulations governing human and

environmental exposure to mercury in Canada.
What measures are used to assess mercury
ws Centre
Queen’s University Ne exposure in humans and the environment? What
Found in Cataraq ui River,
High Levels of Mercury are the exposure limits for mercury in humans
Kingston, Ontario and the environment according to regulatory
have found
rsity in Kingston, Ontario, standards?
Researchers at Queen’s Unive ernment’s
ce the level of the federal gov
mercury levels more than twi around the 3. Citizens in Belleville, Ontario took action leading
crogram/kg) in the sediment
severe effect limit (>2000 mi to revitalization of the land to create Jane Forrester
aqui River.
inner harbour of the Catar Park. Locate other examples of remediation of sites
ny other
area has been the site of ma that were once contaminated with mercury. Find
Over the past 100 years, the a lea d sme lter, a out about the process by which environmental
l gasification plant,
industries, including a coa ot. advocacy groups have alerted officials to their
mill, and a fuel dep
municipal dump, a textile concerns and have ensured that action was taken
oe club into
ted shoreline soil near the can
Rain is washing contamina by decades of to address those concerns.
iment already contaminated
the river, adding to the sed
industrial pollution. Take Action
1. PLAN As a concerned citizen in your region,
work in a group to identify key points that
Groundwater Treatment Using Equilibrium would help to win the attention and support of
One way to treat heavy metal contamination in groundwater is government agencies responsible for undertaking
through a process called adsorption, shown in the diagram on the environmental clean-ups. Share the results of the
right. Adsorption involves incubating wastewater—the solvent, or research and analysis you conducted for questions
liquid phase—with the solid phase of a substance—the “sorbent.” A 1 to 3 above.
phase is a homogeneous part of a heterogeneous system in which 2. ACT Prepare a letter to the City of Kingston to
there are well-defined boundaries between the system components. advocate for similar remediation efforts in your
The solid phase can be made of various materials, such as activated region. Your letter should propose possible
carbon, or charcoal. solutions that may help to ensure the safety of your
The key to the adsorption process is that the solid phase community. Support your recommendations with
contains chemical groups, such as carboxyl, sulphydryl, amino, information from credible sources.
phosphate, or hydroxyl groups, which bind to the metal ions, the
“sorbate,” in wastewater. The metal is attracted to the solid phase,
and equilibrium is reached between the metal ions that bind to the
solid and those that remain in solution. Once the metal species is
Metal ion
bound to the solid phase, the sorbent can be incinerated or buried Metal ion (“Sorbate”)
Waste water binds
in a landfill. (“Solvent”) sese
a
phha

Chemical
li d p

group Metal ion

SSoolid

Metal ion goes into

binds to solvent
chemical
group

Adsorption of heavy metal-contaminated

water involves equilibrium processes.

Chapter 7 Chemical Equilibrium • MHR 15