 CHEMISTRY AND THE ANTHROSPHERE: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND GREEN

CHEMISTRY

 Five Spheres:
 Hydrosphere
 Atmosphere
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 Geosphere
 Biosphere
 Anthrosphere

 Environmental Chemistry
 Study of sources, reaction, transport effect, and fates of chemical species in the Spheres.
 Complicated continuous and variable interchange of chemical species among environment spheres.
 Help minimize the environmental impact of industries, because it reduces the emission and by products to
zero.
 S(coal) + O2 ----- SO2 then SO2 + 1/2 O2 + H20 ---- H2SO4

 Sulfur Dioxide is generated when the coal is burn where sulfur undergo combustion, then become sulfuric
acid and falls as acid rain affecting the plants and trees, either go to sink or hydrosphere or become a
precipitate sulfate salts back in the geosphere

 2 CATEGORIES OF E.C.
 Aquatic chemistry
 Atmospheric Chemistry
 Toxicological Chemistry
 Analytical chemistry

 Matter and Cycles of Matter ( Based on elemental cycles )


 Global Geochemical Cycles
 Regarded from the viewpoint of reservoir, oceans, sediments, and the atmosphere, connected by conduits
through which matter moves continuously among the spheres.
 Most cycles have biotic component
 BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
 Are cycles which organism participate
 Circulation of matter, particularly plant and animal nutrients, through the ecosystems.
 Powered by solar energy, which is fine tuned and directed by energy expended by organisms
 2 MAJOR CATEGORIES
 EXEGONIC CYCLES
 Occur largely on earths surface and are those in which the element in quest ion spends part of the cycle in
the atmosphere.
 N2 for nitrogen, O2 for oxygen and CO2 for carbon dioxide
 ENDEGONIC CYCLES
 notably the sulfur cycle, predominantly involve subsurface rocks of various kinds and are without a
gaseous component
 CARBON CYCLE
 Important aspect is that it is the one by which solar energy transferred to biological system.

1. Carbon Uptake: Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

2. Living Things: Carbon becomes part of plant tissues and transfers through the food chain as animals
eat plants and other animals.

3. Storage: Dead plants and animals store carbon as they decompose slowly over time, forming fossil
fuels (coal, oil, gas) or buried organic matter (peat)

4. Release: Carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere through respiration by living things and
decomposition of organic matter. Burning fossil fuels also releases large amounts of CO2.

5. Ocean Exchange: Oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

 PRESENT IN SMALL AMOUNT BUT IMPORTANT DUE TO ITS TOXICOLOGICAL CHEMICAL
EFFECTS
 Carbon circulates through the carbon cycle and shows that carbon may be present as gaseous atmospheric
CO2.
 Photosynthesis fixes inorganic C as biological carbon, represented as {CH2O}, which is a constituent of all
life molecules.
 {CH2O} organic biological carbon • A contained in energy-rich molecules that can react biochemically
with O2, to regenerate carbon dioxide and to produce energy.
 MICROORGANISM
 Strongly involved in carbon cycle, they mediate biochemical reaction
 Photosynthetic algae • p r e d o m i n a n t c a r b o n - f i x i n g agents in water
 Biodegradation • destroy carbon- c o n t a i n i n g c o m p o u n d s i n hazardous waste
 OXYGEN CYCLE
 Involves the interchange of oxygen between the elemental form of gaseous O2.
 ELEMENTAL OXYGEN Released in photosynthesis.
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 Oxygen readily combines with and oxidizes other species such as C (aerobic respiration) or C and H in
combustion of fossil fuels such as methane: CH4 + 2O2 = CO2 + 2 H2O
 Elemental oxygen also oxidizes inorganic substances such as iron(II) in minerals: 4 FeO + O2 = 2 Fe2O3
 A particularly important aspect of the oxygen cycle is stratospheric ozone, O3 PROTECT US FROM
RADIATION.
 It is completed by the return of elemental O2 to the atmosphere.
 NITROGEN CYCLE
 NITROGEN travel from air to soil by special bacteria and convert it to usable form for plants, plants
absorb it and use it, animals eat plants and get it, after that it goes back to soil when animal and plant dies,
some returns to air with the help of some bacteria [cycle keeps nitrogen circulating between the air, soil,
plants, and animals].

 78 % elemental Nitrogen in atmosphere.

 Nitrogen, constitute less biomass than carbon or oxygen
 N2 molecule is stable so breaking it down needs inorganic and organic chemical chemical forms of
nitrogen
 N2 + 3h2 ---- 2NH3
 Production of gaseous N2 and N2O by microorganism and evolution of the gases in atmosphere complete
nitrogen cycle by DENITRIFICATION.

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 PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
 Phosphorus is usually the limiting nutrient in ecosystems.
 It is endogenic.
 In the geosphere, phosphorus is held largely in poorly soluble minerals, such as hydroxyapatite.
 Mineralization of biomass by microbial decay returns phosphorus to the salt solution from which it may
precipitate as mineral matter.
 The anthrosphere is a major reservoir of phosphorus in the environment.
  Phosphorus is a constituent of some extremely toxic compounds.

1. Rock Breakdown: The journey starts with weathering of rocks containing phosphorus-rich minerals
like apatite. This releases phosphates into the soil and water.

2. Plant Uptake: Plants absorb these phosphates as essential nutrients for growth.

3. Food Chain Transfer: Animals get their phosphorus by eating plants or other animals. Phosphorus
moves through the food web.

4. Return to Soil/Water: When plants and animals die, decomposers break them down, releasing
phosphorus back into the soil and water.

5. Slow Movement: Unlike other cycles, phosphorus movement through soil and water is slow.

6. Sedimentation: Over long periods, some phosphorus can get deposited in sediments and eventually
become part of rock formations, restarting the cycle very slowly.

This cycle highlights the limited availability of readily-usable phosphorus. Human activities like excessive
fertilizer use can disrupt the cycle, leading to potential water quality issues.

 SULFUR CYCLE
 cycle ensures a continuous supply of sulfur for all living things.
 It involves several gaseous species, poorly soluble minerals, and several species in solution.
 Among the significant species involved in the sulfur cycle are H2S, (CH3)2S, PbS, H2SO4, and
biologically bound sulfur in sulfur-containing proteins.
 The most significant part of the sulfur cycle is the presence of pollutant SO2 gas and H2SO4 in the
atmosphere.
 T hi s s p e c i e s i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a c i d i c precipitation, “acid rain,”.
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1. Storage: Sulfur starts underground in rocks and minerals.

2. Release: Weathering of rocks, volcanic activity, and decomposers break down organic matter, releasing
sulfur compounds.

3. Air and Water: Released sulfur can enter the atmosphere as gas (think volcanic eruptions) or dissolve
in water as sulfate.

4. Uptake by Plants: Plants absorb sulfate from the soil, incorporating it into essential proteins.

5. Food Chain: Animals get their sulfur by eating plants or other animals. Sulfur moves through the food
web.

6. Back to the Beginning: When plants and animals die, decomposers break them down, releasing sulfur
compounds back into the environment, restarting the cycle.

This cycle ensures a continuous supply of sulfur for all living things. There are also special bacteria that play a
role by converting sulfur between different forms, keeping the cycle running smoothly.

 ANTHROSPHERE EVOLUTION TO ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE FORM

 IGNORE POLLUTION DUMP WASTES
 CONTROL POLLUTANTS AFTER THEY ARE WASTED
 CLOSE THE LOOP, INTERGRATE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
 Three Undesirable Characteristics of Chemicals:
 • Persistence
 • Bioaccumulation
 • Toxicity
 Green Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry
 In order to develop green chemical processes, environmental chemistry must be carefully considered to
know how these processes and their products will affect the environment.
 importance of microbes (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and algae) in aquatic environments:

Microbial Processes: Microbes are essential for many chemical reactions in water, especially those involving
organic matter and oxygen. Algae are the main producers of organic matter in water.

Water Treatment: Microbes can cause diseases if present in drinking water. Water treatment methods like
chlorination aim to eliminate harmful microbes.

Types of Microbes: The passage talks about two main categories - prokaryotes (no defined nucleus) and
eukaryotes (defined nucleus).

Within these categories, there are further classifications based on how they obtain energy and carbon:

 Chemoheterotrophs (organic chemicals for energy, organic carbon source)

 Chemoautotrophs (inorganic chemicals for energy, organic or inorganic carbon source)

 Photoheterotrophs (light for energy, organic carbon source)

 Photoautotrophs (light for energy, inorganic carbon source - like algae)

 Viral Impact: Viruses are not involved in these transformations but are important for water treatment due
to their disease-causing potential. They are difficult to remove due to their small size