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vi Contents

Improving Air Quality: Photochemical Smog 87


Green Chemistry: Strategies to Reduce VOCs Emanating from
Organic Solvents 101
Green Chemistry: A Nonvolatile, Reactive Coalescent for the
Reduction of VOCs in Latex Paints 101
Green Chemistry: The Replacement of Organic Solvents with
Supercritical and Liquid Carbon Dioxide; Development of Surfactants
for This Compound 103
Box 3-2 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide 104
Green Chemistry: Using Ionic Liquids to Replace Organic Solvents:
Cellulose, a Naturally Occurring Polymer Replacement for
Petroleum-Derived Polymers 105
Improving Air Quality: Sulfur-Based Emissions 109
Particulates in Air Pollution 118
Air Quality Indices and Size Characteristics for Particulate Matter 126
Box 3-3 The Distribution of Particle Sizes in an Urban Air Sample 129
Review Questions 131
Green Chemistry Questions 131
Additional Problems 132

Chapter 4 The Environmental and Health


Consequences of Polluted Air—Outdoors and Indoors 135
Introduction 135
Acid Rain 137
Activity 143
The Human Health Effects of Outdoor Air Pollutants 145
Indoor Air Pollution 152
Review Questions 161
Additional Problems 162

PART II Energy and Climate Change 163


Chapter 5 The Greenhouse Effect 165
Introduction 165
The Mechanism of the Greenhouse Effect 166
Activity 169
Box 5-1 A Simple Model of the Greenhouse Effect 173
Molecular Vibrations: Energy Absorption by Greenhouse Gases 175
The Major Greenhouse Gases 177
Other Greenhouse Gases 187
Box 5-2 Determining the Emissions of “Old Carbon” Sources
of Methane 190
The Climate-Modifying Effects of Aerosols 197
Box 5-3 Cooling over China from Haze 202
Global Warming to Date 202

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Contents vii

Geoengineering Earth’s Climate to Combat Global Warming 210


Atmospheric Residence Time Analysis 216
Review Questions 219
Additional Problems 220

Chapter 6 Energy Use, Fossil Fuels, CO2 Emissions,


and Global Climate Change 223
Introduction 223
Global Energy Usage 224
Fossil Fuels 230
Box 6-1 Shale Gas 233
Box 6-2 Petroleum Refining: Fractional Distillation 237
Box 6-3 The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster 242
Green Chemistry: Polylactic Acid—The Production of Biodegradable
Polymers from Renewable Resources; Reducing the Need for Petroleum
and the Impact on the Environment 249
Sequestration of CO2 252
The Storage of Carbon Dioxide 257
Activity 264
Other Schemes to Reduce Greenhouse Gases 264
Box 6-4 Removing CO2 from the Atmosphere: Direct
Air Capture 265
Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Future 267
Activity 268
The Extent and Potential Consequences of Future Global
Warming 276
Review Questions 288
Green Chemistry Questions 289
Additional Problems 290

Chapter 7 Biofuels and Other Alternative Fuels 291


Introduction 291
Biomass and Biofuels: Issues 292
Ethanol 295
Biodiesel from Plant Oils and from Algae 303
Activity 310
Green Chemistry: Bio-based Liquid Fuels and Chemicals 310
Green Chemistry: Recycling Carbon Dioxide—A Feedstock for the
Production of Chemicals and Liquid Fuels 311
Thermochemical Production of Fuels, Including Methanol 313
Hydrogen—Fuel of the Future? 320
Review Questions 334
Green Chemistry Questions 335
Additional Problems 336

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viii Contents

Chapter 8 Renewable Energy Technologies: Hydroelectric,


Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and Marine Energy and
Their Storage 337
Introduction 337
Hydroelectric Power 338
Wind Energy 340
Marine Energy: Wave and Tidal Power 348
Geothermal Energy 349
Direct Solar Energy 354
The Storage of Renewable Energy—Electricity and Heat 369
Activity 371
Review Questions 371
Additional Problems 372

Chapter 9 Radioactivity, Radon, and Nuclear Energy 373


Introduction 373
Radioactivity and Radon Gas 374
Box 9-1 Steady-State Analysis of the Radioactive Decay
Series 379
Nuclear Energy 383
Environmental Problems of Uranium Fuel 390
Box 9-2 Radioactive Contamination by Plutonium Production 395
Accidents and the Future of Nuclear Power 398
Nuclear Fusion 402
Review Questions 405
Additional Problems 406

PART III Water Chemistry and Water Pollution 407


Chapter 10 The Chemistry of Natural Waters 409
Introduction 409
Oxidation–Reduction Chemistry in Natural Waters 413
Green Chemistry: Enzymatic Preparation of Cotton Textiles 418
Acid–Base and Solubility Chemistry in Natural Waters:
The Carbonate System 430
Box 10-1 Derivation of the Equations for Species Diagram
Curves 432
The CO2–Carbonate System 432
Box 10-2 Solubility of CaCO3 in Buffered Solutions 437
Ion Concentrations in Natural Waters and Drinking Water 442
Activity 445
Review Questions 451
Green Chemistry Questions 452
Additional Problems 452

baird_fm.indd viii 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Contents ix

Chapter 11 The Pollution and Purification of Water 455


Introduction 455
Water Disinfection 456
Box 11-1 Activated Carbon 457
Box 11-2 The Desalination of Salty Water 463
Box 11-3 The Mechanism of Chloroform Production in
Drinking Water 470
Groundwater: Its Supply, Chemical Contamination, and Remediation 478
Activity 491
The Chemical Contamination and Treatment of Wastewater and
Sewage 498
Box 11-4 Time Dependence of Concentrations in the Two-Step
Oxidation of Ammonia 502
Green Chemistry: Sodium Iminodisuccinate, a Biodegradable
Chelating Agent 505
Modern Wastewater and Air Purification Techniques 510
Review Questions 515
Green Chemistry Questions 516
Additional Problems 516

Chapter 12 Toxic Heavy Metals 519


Introduction 519
Mercury 521
Activity 531
Lead 537
Green Chemistry: Replacement of Lead in Electrodeposition
Coatings 543
Activity 551
Cadmium 552
Arsenic 555
Box 12-1 Organotin Compounds 558
Chromium 566
Green Chemistry: Removing the Arsenic and Chromium from
Pressure-Treated Wood 568
Review Questions 570
Green Chemistry Questions 571
Additional Problems 571

PART IV Toxic Organic Compounds 573


Chapter 13 Pesticides 575
Introduction 575
Activity 579
DDT 580

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x Contents

The Accumulation of Organochlorines in Biological Systems 584


Principles of Toxicology 589
Organophosphate and Carbamate Insecticides 597
Activity 599
Activity 601
Natural and Green Insecticides, and Integrated Pest Management 601
Green Chemistry: Insecticides That Target Only Certain Insects 603
Green Chemistry: A New Method for Controlling Termites 604
Green Chemistry: Spinetoram, an Improvement on a Green
Pesticide 605
Herbicides 607
Box 13-1 Genetically Engineered Plants 611
Final Thoughts on Pesticides 616
Box 13-2 The Environmental Distribution of Pollutants 617
Review Questions 620
Green Chemistry Questions 621
Additional Problems 621

Chapter 14 Dioxins, Furans, and PCBs 623


Introduction 623
Dioxins 623
Box 14-1 Deducing the Probable Chlorophenolic Origins of a Dioxin 628
PCBs 631
Box 14-2 Predicting the Furans That Will Form from a Given PCB 638
Other Sources of Dioxins and Furans 641
Green Chemistry: H2O2, an Environmentally Benign Bleaching Agent
for the Production of Paper 643
The Health Effects of Dioxins, Furans, and PCBs 646
Review Questions 659
Green Chemistry Questions 660
Additional Problems 660

Chapter 15 Other Toxic Organic Compounds


of Environmental Concern 663
Introduction 663
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) 664
Box 15-1 More on the Mechanism of PAH Carcinogenesis 670
Environmental Estrogens 672
Box 15-2 Bisphenol-A 675
The Long-Range Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants 683
Fire Retardants 686
Perfluorinated Sulfonates and Related Compounds 692
Review Questions 694
Additional Problems 694

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Contents xi

PART V Environment and the Solid State 695


Chapter 16 Wastes, Soils, and Sediments 697
Introduction 697
Domestic and Commercial Garbage: Its Disposal and Minimization 698
The Recycling of Household and Commercial Waste 705
Green Chemistry: Development of Bio-based Toners 710
Activity 715
Green Chemistry: Development of Recyclable Carpeting 717
Soils and Sediments 719
Hazardous Wastes 742
Review Questions 750
Green Chemistry Questions 751
Additional Problems 752

PART VI Advanced Atmospheric Chemistry 753


Chapter 17 The Detailed Free-Radical Chemistry
of the Atmosphere 755
Introduction 755
Box 17-1 Lewis Structures of Simple Free Radicals 756
Tropospheric Chemistry 757
Systematics of Stratospheric Chemistry 772
Review Questions 775
Additional Problems 776

Appendix Oxidation Numbers and Redox Equation


Balancing Reviewed AP-1
Answers to Selected Odd-Numbered Problems AN-1
Index I-1

baird_fm.indd xi 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Preface
To the Student
There are many definitions of environmental chemistry. To some, it is solely
the chemistry of Earth’s natural processes in air, water, and soil. More com-
monly, as in this book, it is concerned principally with the chemical aspects
of problems that humankind have created in the natural environment.
Part of this infringement on the natural chemistry of our planet has been a
result of the activities of our everyday lives. In addition, chemists, through the
products that they create and the processes by which they make these products,
have also had a significant impact on the chemistry of the environment.
Chemistry has played a major role in the advancement of society and in
making our lives longer, healthier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable.
The effects of human-made chemicals are ubiquitous and in many instances
quite positive. Without chemistry there would be no pharmaceutical drugs,
no computers, no automobiles, no TVs, no DVDs, no lights, no synthetic
fibers. However, along with all the positive advances that result from chem-
istry, copious amounts of toxic and corrosive chemicals have been produced
and dispersed into the environment. Historically, chemists as a whole have
not always paid enough attention to the environmental consequences of
their activities.
But it is not just the chemical industry, or even industry as a whole, that
has emitted substances into the air, water, and soil that are troublesome. The
fantastic increase in population and affluence since the Industrial Revolution
has overloaded our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and toxic air pollutants,
our waters with sewage, and our soil with garbage. We are exceeding the
planet’s natural capacity to cope with waste, and in many cases, we do not
know the consequences of these actions. As a character in Margaret
Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake (McClelland and Stewart, 2003) stated,
“The whole world is now one vast uncontrolled experiment.”
During your journey through the chapters in this text, you will see that
scientists do have a good handle on many environmental chemistry prob-
lems and have suggested ways—although sometimes very expensive ones—
to keep us from inheriting the whirlwind of uncontrolled experiments on
the planet. Chemists have also become more aware of the contributions of
their own profession and industry in creating pollution and have created the
concept of green chemistry to help minimize their environmental footprint in
the future.
To illustrate these efforts, case studies of their initiatives have been in-
cluded in the text. However, as a prelude to these studies, the Introduction
discusses something of the history of environmental regulations—especially
in the United States—and the principles, as well as an illustrative applica-
tion, of the green chemistry movement that has developed. As concerns over
xii

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Preface xiii

such issues as food, water, energy, climate change, and waste production es-
calate, the concept of sustainability is rapidly moving from the wings to center
stage on the world agenda. Sustainability is introduced in the following
Introduction section and issues related to sustainability are blended throughout
the text.
Although the science underlying environmental problems is often mad-
deningly complex, the central aspects of it can usually be understood and
appreciated with only introductory chemistry as background preparation.
However, students who have not had some introduction to organic chemis-
try are encouraged to work through the Background Organic Chemistry sec-
tion in the online Appendix, particularly before tackling Chapters 13 to 15.
Furthermore, the listing of general chemistry concepts that will be used in
each chapter should assist in identifying topics from the earlier course mate-
rial that would be worth reviewing.

To the Instructor
Environmental Chemistry, Fifth Edition, has been revised, updated, and ex-
panded in line with comments and suggestions made by a variety of users
and reviewers of the fourth edition. Since some instructors prefer to cover
chapters in an order different from ours, each chapter’s opening outline lists
previously introduced concepts that will be used again, which should facili-
tate reordering. Furthermore, we have divided the material into smaller
subsections and numbered them. The Detailed Chemistry of the Atmosphere
chapter has been repositioned to the end of the book since many instructors
do not teach from it, although in a course, it can readily follow Chapter 3.
In addition, following discussions with our reviewers, in Chapter 13 we have
deleted some of the descriptive information about pesticides that are no
longer in use.
We have expanded the coverage of topics related to climate change,
especially the generation of sustainable, renewable energy—which is now
covered in two chapters, the first on biofuels and other alternative fuels, and
the second on solar energy. As a consequence, this edition could be used as
the text for a number of types of courses in addition to Environmental
Chemistry. For example, a one-semester Energy and the Environment course
might use Chapters 3 through 9. Instructors who do not cover policy implica-
tions of energy and climate change topics could skip the first and last parts
of Chapter 6.
As in previous editions, the background required to solve both in-text
and end-of-chapter problems is either developed in the text or would have
been covered previously in a general chemistry course—as listed for each
chapter at its beginning. Where appropriate, hints are given to start students
on the solution. The Solutions Manual to the text includes worked solutions
to most problems (other than Review Questions, which are designed to
direct students back to descriptive material within each chapter).

baird_fm.indd xiii 2/22/12 10:47 PM


xiv Preface

New to This Edition


Our philosophy in revising the textbook this time has been to make it more
user-friendly (both for instructors and for students) as well as to bring it up-
to-date. Furthermore, we have expanded the coverage of energy production
(especially for biofuels), the generation and disposal of CO2, and innovative
ways to combat climate change.

New Features
• Green text—to emphasize the most important statements, definitions,
and conclusions.
• Greater use of bullets and tables—to cover points most readily covered
in a list or sequence.
• Subsection numbering—to allow instructors to assign material to be covered
or skipped more easily and students to find particular topics more easily.
• Breaking the text into smaller subsections and shorter paragraphs—to
promote student understanding and allow maximum instructor flexibility.
• More schematic diagrams—to promote student comprehension of the
more complicated chemistry and appeal to a variety of learning styles.
• An Activity has been inserted into many chapters—these Web- or
library-based miniprojects could be assigned to individual students or to a
group to report on.
• Marginal notes—to supplement the main text with additional interesting
material and to indicate which Review Questions are relevant to the material
at hand.
• More hints and background—added to the more difficult in-text Problems
and Additional Problems.
• Parts III and IV have been interchanged—so that water chemistry
appears earlier in the book, as preferred by many instructors.
• Detailed mathematical material has been repositioned—toward the end
of the chapter in many cases, so instructors have flexibility in coverage.
• Increased international coverage—to give all students a better perspective
on environmental problems and solutions around the world. For example, there
is increased coverage of gaseous and particulate air pollution and CO2 emissions
and air quality standards in developed as well as developing countries.
• An Appendix has been added—to review the balancing of redox equations
and assignment of oxidation numbers (states).
• Organic Chemistry Appendix has been moved—to the textbook’s Web site
at www.whfreeman.com/envchem5e.

baird_fm.indd xiv 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Preface xv

New Green Chemistry Cases


• A Nonvolatile, Reactive Coalescent for the Reduction of VOCs in
Latex Paints
• Development of Bio-Based Toners
• Recycling Carbon Dioxide: A Feedstock for the Production of
Chemicals and Liquid Fuels
• Bio-Based Liquid Fuels and Chemicals
• Spinetoram, an Improvement on a Green Pesticide

New Material on Climate Change and CO2


Substantial sections on the following topics have been added:
• Geoengineering the Climate (by chemical and physical means)
• Energy and CO2 Intensity Parameters and Predicted Global Trends
• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)—The Sequestration of CO2
• Shale-Gas Production and the Alberta Oil Sands
• The Deepwater Horizon Disaster
• Biodiesel Production from Algae and Other Sources
• Renewable Energy (Solar, Wind) Storage by Chemical Means
• Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
• The Fukushima Nuclear Accident, and the Storage of Spent
Nuclear Fuel
Significant additions have also been made on many other topics, including:
• A new box reviewing the calculation of reaction rates
• Smoke from wood stoves and new technology for developing countries
• Removing CO2 from ambient air
• Biodegradable plastics
• The alternative theory to LRTAP
• E-waste and its disposal and recycling
Updates have been made throughout the book, especially concerning:
• Melanoma rates and UV-A protection in sunscreens
• The polar ozone holes and ODS concentration declines
• Smog, SO2 emission rates, and air-quality standards around the world

baird_fm.indd xv 22/02/12 9:45 AM


xvi Preface

• Catalytic converters for diesel-powered vehicles


• Particulate pollution and the atmospheric brown cloud
• Sea-level rises and the melting of glaciers
• Point-of-use water disinfection
• Desalination box—expanded to incorporate recent advances and news
• Increased and updated coverage on by-products of chlorination,
including in swimming pools
• Material on arsenic in drinking water updated and expanded in
geographic scope
• Origin of lead in drinking water from transit pipes
• New information concerning the effect of lead on children’s health
• New fire retardants

Supplements
The book companion Web site at www.whfreeman.com/envchem5e offers
Case Studies that let students explore current environmental controversies
and a Background Organic Chemistry section that provides a necessary in-
troduction for those students who have not taken organic chemistry. Here,
instructors can also access PowerPoint slides of all art, tables, and graphs
from the text.
The Solutions Manual (1-4641-0646-0) includes worked solutions to almost
all problems (other than Review Questions, which are designed to direct stu-
dents back to the appropriate material within each chapter).

To All Readers of the Text


The authors are happy to receive comments and suggestions about the con-
tent of this book from instructors and students. Please contact Colin Baird at
ncolinbaird@gmail.com and Michael Cann at cannm1@scranton.edu.

Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their gratitude and appreciation to a number of
people who in various ways have contributed to this fifth edition:
To the students and instructors who have used previous editions of the
text, and via their reviews and e-mails have pointed out subsections and
problems that needed clarifying or extending.

baird_fm.indd xvi 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Preface xvii

To W. H. Freeman Executive Editor for the third, fourth, and fifth edi-
tions, Jessica Fiorillo; Senior Project Editor Vivien Weiss; and Development
Editor Brittany Murphy—for their encouragement, ideas, insightful sugges-
tions, patience, and organizational abilities. To Margaret Comaskey for her
careful copyediting and suggestions again in this edition, to Cecilia Varas
for finding the photographs and for obtaining permissions for figures and
photographs, to Diana Blume for design, and to Susan Wein for coordinat-
ing production.

Colin Baird wishes to express his thanks . . .


To his colleagues at the University of Western Ontario and elsewhere
who made valuable suggestions and supplied information and answered que-
ries on various subjects: Myra Gordon, Ron Martin, Martin Stillman, Garth
Kidd, Duncan Hunter, Roland Haines, Edgar Warnhoff, Marguerite Kane,
Currie Palmer, Rob Lipson, Dave Shoesmith, Felix Lee, Peter Guthrie, Geoff
Rayner-Canham, and Chris Willis.
To his daughter, Jenny, and his granddaughters, Olivia and Sophie, for
whom and for others of their generations this subject really matters.

Mike Cann wishes to express his thanks . . .


To his students (especially Marc Connelly and Tom Umile) and fellow
faculty at the University of Scranton, who have made valuable suggestions
and contributions to his understanding of green chemistry and environmen-
tal chemistry.
To Joe Breen, who was one of the pioneers of green chemistry and one
of the founders of the Green Chemistry Institute.
To Paul Anastas and Tracy Williamson (both of the U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency), whose boundless energy and enthusiasm for green
chemistry are contagious.
To his loving wife, Cynthia, who has graciously and enthusiastically en-
dured countless discussions of green chemistry and environmental chemistry.
To his children, Holly and Geoffrey, and his grandchildren, McKenna,
Alexia, Alan Joshua, Samantha, and Arik, who, along with future genera-
tions, will reap the rewards of sustainable chemistry.
Both authors wish to express thanks to the reviewers of the fourth edi-
tion, as well as draft versions of sections of the fifth edition of the text, for
their helpful comments and suggestions:

Samuel Melaku Abegaz, Columbus State University George P. Cobb, Texas Tech University
John J. Bang, North Carolina Central University David B. Ford, University of Tampa
James Boulter, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire Chaoyang Jiang, University of South Dakota

baird_fm.indd xvii 22/02/12 9:45 AM


xviii Preface

Joseph P. Kakareka, Florida Gulf Coast University Jim Phillips, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Michael E. Ketterer, Northern Arizona University Ramin Radfar, Wofford College
Cielito DeRamos King, Bridgewater State University A. Lynn Roberts, Johns Hopkins University
Rachael A. Kipp, Suffolk University Kathryn Rowberg, Purdue University–Hammond
Min Li, California University of Pennsylvania John Shapley, University of Illinois
Kerry MacFarland, Averett University Joshua Wang, Delaware State University
Matthew G. Marmorino, Indiana University– Darcey Wayment, Nicholls State University
South Bend Chunlong (“Carl”) Zhang, University of
Robert Milofsky, Fort Lewis College Houston–Clear Lake

baird_fm.indd xviii 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Introduction to Environmental
Problems, Sustainability, and
Green Chemistry
In this book you will study the chemistry of the air, water, and soil, as well as If mankind is to survive,
the effects of anthropogenic activities on the chemistry of the Earth. In ad- we shall require a
dition, you will learn about sustainability and green chemistry, which aims to substantially new
design technologies that lessen the ecological footprint of our activities. manner of thinking.
Albert Einstein
Environmental chemistry deals with the reactions, fates, movements,
and sources of chemicals in the air, water, and soil. In the absence of humans,
the discussion would be limited to naturally occurring chemicals and pro-
cesses. Today, with the burgeoning population of the Earth, coupled with
continually advancing technology, human activities have an ever-increasing
influence on the chemistry of the environment. The earliest humans, and
even those living little more than a century ago, must have thought of the
Earth as so vast that human activity could scarcely have any more than local
effects on the soil, water, and air. Today we realize that our activities can
have not only local and regional, but also global, consequences.
The quotation from Einstein that begins this section was in reference to
the dawn of the nuclear age and the concomitant threat of nuclear war.
Today, Einstein’s words are just as appropriate from the perspective that the
effects upon the Earth of our current consumption of resources and accompa-
nying production of waste cannot be sustained. The environmental impact (I)
of humans may be thought of as a function of population (P), affluence (A),
and technology (T).
I⫽P⫻A⫻T
The last 100 years have been witness to rapid growth in all of these areas,
leading to the “perfect environmental storm.” It took until 1800 for the
human population of the Earth to reach 1 billion. Since that time there has
been a seven-fold increase in population, with projections of 9 billion people
by 2050. By the end of today, there will be an additional 200,000 people on
this planet to feed, clothe, and shelter. Although many people still live in
abject poverty, in terms of sheer numbers, never have so many lived so well.

xix

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xx Introduction to Environmental Problems, Sustainability, and Green Chemistry

China and India, the world’s two most populous countries with one-third of
the world’s population, have recently had unprecedented economic growth,
as evidenced by their GDP growth rate of about 10% for several years. This
has lifted many of their people out of poverty and elevated their lifestyles.
Unfortunately, their model for rising affluence is the same consumption/
waste paradigm common in the West. The accompanying consumption of
both renewable and nonrenewable resources and the production of pollution
are simply not sustainable for so many across the globe.
Fueled by human ingenuity and innovation, the last 100 years have also
witnessed more technological advances than all of preceding human history.
Remarkable discoveries include humans walking on the moon over 40 years ago,
drugs and medical advances that have helped to increase our life expectancy in
the United States from 47 years in 1900 to 79 years today, electronic devices that
were not even imaginable a century ago, agricultural advances that allow us to
feed 7 billion people, transportation that allows us to eat dinner in New York and
breakfast the following morning in London, and the discovery of DNA and the
human genome project that have unlocked many of the secrets of life. However,
most of these technological advances have been made with little attention to
their local, regional, and even global environmental consequences. This combi-
nation of exponential population growth, dramatic rise in affluence, and unprec-
edented technological advancement has left a legacy of toxic waste dumps,
denuded landscapes, daunting climate change, spent natural resources, and ac-
celerated extinction of species. Never has a group of living organisms had such a
far-reaching and significant impact on the environment of the Earth.
There are now many indications that we have exceeded the carrying
capacity of the Earth—that is, the ability of the planet to convert our wastes
back into resources (often called nature’s interest) as fast as we consume its
natural resources and produce waste. Some say that we are living beyond the
“interest” that nature provides us and dipping into nature’s capital. In short,
many of our activities are not sustainable.
As we write these introductory remarks, we are reminded of the environ-
mental consequences of human activities that impact the areas where we live
and beyond. Colin spends his summers on a small island just off the north
Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia, while Mike spends a few weeks each winter on
the west coast of southern Florida, a few kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico.
Although these locations are a great distance apart, if predictions are correct,
both may be permanently submerged by the end of this century as a result of
rising sea levels brought about by enhanced global warming (see Chapters 6
and 7). The public footbridge that links Colin’s island to the mainland is
treated with creosote, and the local residents no longer harvest mussels from
the beds below for fear they may be contaminated with PAHs (Chapter 15).
Colin’s well on this island was tested for arsenic, a common pollutant in that
area of abandoned gold mines (Chapter 12). To the north, the once robust
cod fishing industry of Newfoundland has collapsed due to overfishing.
Mike lives in northeastern Pennsylvania on a lake where the wood in his
dock is preserved with the heavy metals arsenic, chromium, and copper

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Introduction to Environmental Problems, Sustainability, and Green Chemistry xxi

(Chapter 12). Within a short distance are two landfills (Chapter 16), which
take in an excess of 8,000 tonnes of garbage per day (from municipalities as
far as 150 kilometers away), as well as two Superfund Sites (Chapter 16) and
a nuclear power plant that generates plutonium and other radioactive wastes
for which there is no working disposal plan in the United States (Chapter 9).
Furthermore, within the last couple of years, natural gas wells have sprung up
like weeds as drillers use a hydraulic fracturing process (fracking) (Chapter 6)
that may leave a legacy of contaminated groundwater (Chapter 11) in many
states in the United States.
Colin’s home in London, Ontario, is within an hour’s drive of Lake Erie,
famous for nearly having “died” of phosphate pollution (Chapter 11), and
nuclear power plants on Lake Huron. Nearby farmers grow corn to supply to
a new factory that produces ethanol for use as an alternative fuel (Chapter 7),
and in Ottawa, a Canadian company has built the first demonstration plant
to convert the cellulose from agricultural residue into ethanol (Chapter 7).
On sunny days we both apply extra sunscreen because of the thinning of
the ozone layer (Chapters 1 and 2) and suffer the effects on our eyes and
lungs of ozone-polluted ground-level air each summer (Chapters 3 and 4).
Three of the best salmon rivers in North America in Nova Scotia must be
stocked each season because the salmon no longer migrate up the acidified
waters. Many of the lakes and streams of the beautiful Adirondack region of
upstate New York are a deceptively beautifully crystal clear, only because they
are virtually devoid of plant and animal life, again because of acidified waters
(Chapter 4).
Environmental issues like these probably have parallels that exist where
you live, and learning more about them may convince you that environmen-
tal chemistry is not just a topic of academic interest, but one that touches your
life every day in very practical ways. Many of these environmental threats are
a consequence of anthropogenic activities over the last 50 to 100 years.
In 1983 the United Nations charged a special commission with developing
a plan for long-term sustainable development. In 1987 the report titled “Our
Common Future” was issued. In this report (more commonly known as the The
Brundtland Report), the following definition of sustainable development is found:
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.
Although there are many definitions of sustainable development (or sustainabil-
ity), this is the most widely used. The three intersecting areas of sustainability are
focused on society, the economy, and the environment. Together they are
known as the triple bottom line. In all three areas, consumption (particularly of
natural resources) and the concomitant production of waste are central issues.
The concept of an “ecological footprint” is an attempt to measure the
amount of biologically productive space that is needed to support a particular
human lifestyle. Currently there are about 4.5 acres of biologically productive
space for each person on the Earth. This land provides us with the resources that

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xxii Introduction to Environmental Problems, Sustainability, and Green Chemistry

we need to support our lifestyles and to receive the waste that we generate and
convert it back into resources. If the entire population of 7 billion people lived
like Colin and Mike, rather typical North Americans, the total ecological foot-
print would require more than four planet Earths. Obviously, everyone on the
planet can’t live in as large and as inefficient a house, drive as many kilometers
in such an inefficient vehicle, consume as much food (in particular, meat) and
energy, create as much waste, etc., as those living in developed countries.
As developing countries such as China and India (with a combined total
of over 2 billion people and two of the fastest growing economies in the
world) expand economically, they look to the lifestyles of the 1 billion peo-
ple on the planet that live in developed countries. Factor in the expected
increase in global population to 9 billion by 2050 and clearly this is not sus-
tainable development. The people of the world (including and in particular
those in developed countries) must strive to develop a lifestyle that is sus-
tainable. This does not necessarily mean a lower standard of living for those
in the developed world, but it does mean finding ways (more efficient tech-
nologies along with conservation) to reduce our consumption of natural re-
sources and the concomitant production of waste.
There is now a widespread movement toward the growth and implemen-
tation of sustainable, or green, technologies. These technologies seek to re-
duce energy and resource consumption, use and expand renewable resources,
and reduce the production of waste. In chemistry, these developments are
known as green chemistry, which we will describe later in this introduction and
will see as a theme throughout this text.
Our ecological footprint in many cases is not limited to our backyard.
As mentioned above, the consequences of our activities may be regional
and even global. As we will see in Chapter 4, the burning of coal to pro-
duce electricity in the midwestern United States produces acid rain that
falls in Ontario; in turn, emissions from Ontario are responsible for produc-
ing much of the acid rain in northern New York State. Rising global tem-
peratures (Chapters 5 and 6), due in part to the burning of fossil fuels, have
significant adverse impacts on those who use little, if any, fossil fuels.
One of these groups is the Inuit, who inhabit the northern reaches of
Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Alaska. These people depend on hunting
and fishing for sustenance. Ironically, the northern latitudes of the planet
have experienced some of the most significant temperature rises due to global
warming—warming that has resulted in major changes in the surrounding
flora and fauna and that has significantly altered the Inuits’ way of life. The
atmosphere of our planet is a commons, or perhaps more appropriately de-
scribed as an open resource. We all use and benefit from this commons, but
no one is directly responsible for it. Its use as a dumping ground for pollutants
often affects more than those who are doing the dumping, a concept known
as the tragedy of the commons.
What we perceive as normal is primarily what we encounter in our every-
day lives. But of course, things change, sometimes in seconds or over millennia.

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Introduction to Environmental Problems, Sustainability, and Green Chemistry xxiii

To the untrained “eye,” most environmental changes are not that noticeable.
But what we now think of as normal may not have been so 100 years ago or
even 50 years ago. In the 1600s, English fishermen were quoted as saying the
cod off Newfoundland were “so thick by the shore that we hardly have been
able to row a boat through them.” In 1951 factory fishing began, and in a mere
50 years the cod industry off Newfoundland, the area’s main economic activity,
was dead, leading not only to environmental but to economic disaster. To to-
day’s Newfoundland teenagers this is the norm, although to their parents and
grandparents this is far from what they grew up with. This is an example of
shifting baselines, as well as another example of the tragedy of the commons.
The melting ice sheets and loss of habitat for caribou that the Inuit are
experiencing is also an example of shifting baselines.
The triple bottom line, ecological footprint, the tragedy of the com-
mons, and shifting baselines are all examples of concepts that are commonly
used in discussing sustainability. We will encounter these and other sustain-
ability concepts throughout this book. We suggest that you make a list of
these concepts (Table 0-1) and as you read the text keep a record of where
and in what context these are encountered.

TABLE 0-1 Sustainability Concepts


Triple Bottom Line (TBL): Although corporations have traditionally been solely focused on the
economic (prosperity) bottom line, many (in this age of a greater corporate social responsibility)
are adopting a wider corporate strategy that also includes the social (equality) and environmental
(quality) bottom lines. This is also called people, profits, and planet.
Tragedy of the Commons: In 1968, biologist Garrett Hardin put forth the argument that a common
(open) resource (e.g., water, air, land) used by rational individuals for their own good will result in
decimation of that resource.
Systems Thinking: Requires one to understand an entire system and how aspects of the system are
interconnected. This understanding will allow one to realize that introducing change may have
unintended consequences far beyond the original intent of the change. This is particularly true of
environmental systems and is a major theme of this book.
Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA): Provides an inventory of materials and energy (inputs) that are
consumed and the waste and emissions produced during the entire life cycle of a product, from
acquiring the materials (e.g., mining) needed to produce the product to disposing of the product;
i.e., from cradle to grave or better yet, cradle to cradle. After identification of the inputs and releases
at each step of the LC, an analysis of the impact on the environment (in some cases, both social and
economic impacts) can determine the steps that can be taken to minimize inputs and releases,
and thus the impact on the environment.
Cradle-to-Cradle: At the end of a product’s life cycle, rather than being disposed of (as in cradle-
to-grave), the spent product becomes the material to produce another product, thus mimicking the
regenerative approach of nature.
(continued on p. xxiv)

baird_fm.indd xxiii 22/02/12 9:45 AM


Another random document with
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LETTER XXXIX.
Mrs. D—— to William.

You are a comfort to me, my son, and Annette deserves my tender


affection, she is so tractable and good. Your letters improve and
please her; she requests me to read them twenty times over, that she
may remember them. The tears were in her eyes when I read what
you had written concerning the canary-bird. Poor Emilia, said she,
how I do pity her. It gives me pleasure, replied I, that you participate
in your friend’s grief; it is a sign that you have a good heart, and
deserve the sympathy of others: mutual affection is necessary, it
softens affliction. Indeed I have experienced it, mamma, answered
she, that is, I have never been so much vexed at any thing, when I
saw somebody pitied me, as when they laughed at me.—And I love
those people who have compassion, they look so good-natured.
But, William, I must give you a caution. The beginning of your
letter was too alarming, it startled me; I thought at least that Emilia
had been dreadfully hurt; if she had lost an eye or a limb it could not
have shocked me more. You might have expressed your pity, as she
was grieved, but not in such terms; what other words could you have
used, had she lost her mother? Learn in future, when a thing of the
same kind occurs, to be more cautious how you write, and do not
confound proper feelings; nor even the expressions, which should
convey to others a notion of what passes in your mind.
I send you by this opportunity, some pocket-money, I wish I could
afford to send you more, as you deserve it; for Lady Grandison
informs me, that you are very careful, and try to make your clothes
last long. In you this attention is a virtue, as you do it not only to
spare your mother, whose circumstances are confined, but to have
money to give to the poor. The œconomy and self-denial, which flows
from such motives, is so laudable, that I hope the foolish sneers of
thoughtless young people, will never make you think yourself mean-
spirited, as they will call you: those only can be called mean, in the
true sense of the word, who save to gratify their appetites. Write
often, your conversations please me, and I mentioned before, that
they improved Annette.

D.
LETTER XL.
William to his Mother.

I must give you another proof of the virtue and wisdom of my


friend Charles. Yesterday, when we had done our lessons, for we
never neglect them, we went to the wood, to take our pleasure, and
found it very pleasant; but the thickness of the trees prevented our
seeing a heavy storm that was approaching, till a violent peal of
thunder made us jump. Emilia is very much afraid of thunder.
EMILIA.
Brother, it thunders—what shall I do?
CHARLES.
Do not terrify yourself, there is no cause for fear; it is only the
natural consequence of great heat, and the weather lately has been
very warm. We will return home, it is right to leave the trees, they
attract the lightning.
EMILIA.
I dare not stir—O if I was but in the house, in the cellar!
CHARLES.
And what would you do in the cellar, is it not God who directs the
storm?
EMILIA.
Yes.
CHARLES.
Then he can preserve you every where; here, in the house, or the
cellar, it is all the same; but still we are to exercise our reason while
we trust in God: let us then leave the trees, they are dangerous.
EMILIA.
But who can tell that God will preserve me?
CHARLES.
Does he not give you daily proofs of his favour? You would be
miserable if he did not guard you. Where would you be safe? There is
no need of a storm to destroy us, we are every moment in danger, if
we lose his protection. A chimney, or only a tile may fall on us from a
house:—there are a thousand things which we have reason to be
afraid of, if we fear any. Dr. Bartlett says, he only fears offending
God.
EDWARD.
You are a foolish girl, to be afraid of thunder. Come let us play and
sing, then the noise will not reach us.
CHARLES.
No, we can play and sing, when the storm is over. It is not now the
time when God lets us see such an astonishing token of his almighty
Power—let us view the tempest with reverence.
EMILIA.
Oh, what a loud clap of thunder! May not that be a sign that God is
angry with us?
CHARLES.
No surely. This stormy weather is a blessing; it is of use to purify
the air: the heat of the summer would, without these concussions,
occasion a great many contagious disorders. Emilia, be easy, God
loves us, we every day receive proofs of it; let us trust in him, as we
trust our parents;—we cannot doubt their love, and have we less
reliance on our heavenly Father?
EMILIA.
Come, let us hasten into the house; my father said once, it was
dangerous to look at the lightning.
CHARLES.
Except an extraordinary flash, it has much the same effect as when
you look at the sun, the sight is immediately dimmed.
EDWARD.
Do not go home, how can you be so foolish?
CHARLES.
Though I do not fear the storm myself, I would not be so ill-
natured as to oblige Emilia to stand trembling here. I would avoid,
without despising her weakness. It is weak to be afraid, but impious
to mock the storm.

We then hastened home; and soon after the sky cleared up, and I
quickly saw that the thunder had been of use; the air was cool, and
every herb and flower revived, the garden was more fragrant than
usual.
I thank you, dear mother, for the money you have sent me. You say
it is little, but I think it much. My thanks are due to you, for I am
certain you scarcely allow yourself necessaries, to enable me to
appear properly in this family; I feel your goodness, and will do my
utmost to improve by the opportunity, and always remember the
sacrifice my mother has made, and the affection she has ever shewn
me. Dr. Bartlett frequently mentions this circumstance, when we are
alone; but my memory does not need refreshing—I love my mother,
and long to tell her that I am her grateful and dutiful son.

WILLIAM.
LETTER XLI.
William to his Mother.

Judge of the good heart of Emilia; an accident yesterday made it


appear to advantage. She was in the parlour with Edward, playing on
the harpsicord; after she had finished the tune, she went to look for a
china flower-pot in a china-closet near the parlour. She found what
she wanted; but still loitered, looking at the china; and one jar she
would reach from a high shelf, though Edward cautioned her: the
consequence was, it fell out of her hand, and was dashed to pieces.
She trembled, well knowing it was a jar of great value.
EDWARD.
Mighty well, you would look at the china.
EMILIA.
Do not scold me, I am so sorry; rather give me your advice.
EDWARD.
I can give you no advice; if you sought every where you could not
find such another jar to match the one which is left. Why did you
touch it? you must always be meddling, you are so curious.
EMILIA.
I will never be curious again, I assure you. I know I have done
wrong.
EDWARD.
Now hear me, do not cry; I will tell you what you may do. Nobody
has heard it, we will take the pieces and put them together behind a
dish; and to-morrow, all of a sudden, you may say you have heard
something fall in the closet; then go and look, and Lady Grandison
will think the cat threw it down, or some other accident made it fall.
EMILIA.
No, Edward,—that I will never do; it would be much worse than
breaking it through idle curiosity.
EDWARD.
What will you do then? your mother will be displeased.
EMILIA.
I would sooner bear her displeasure a week, than tell such a
falsehood. Hear me, I will go to her, confess my fault; and indeed I
shall be more careful for the future.

She then ran trembling to her mother; but how was she
astonished, when the good Lady spoke kindly to her. If you had
broken all my china by accident, my child, I should not have chid
you; your foolish curiosity was blameable; but your attention to truth
has more than atoned for it: I find I can rely on your veracity. She
kissed her mother’s hand, and returned to tell us what had
happened. Edward looked ashamed, and said, he would never advise
such an artifice again, he should not like to deceive such a kind Lady,
or lose her good opinion. Charles could not help saying, when we tell
a lie we offer an affront to God. Dr. Bartlett often observes, he is ever
present, and abhors a liar.

WILLIAM.
LETTER XLII.
William to his Mother.

Oh! my dear mother, we are all here full of anxiety; Charles, who
went very early this morning on horseback, with one of the servants,
to pay Mr. Friendly a visit, and promised to return early, is not yet
come home; and it is past nine o’clock. He was always punctual—
some misfortune must have befallen him.—I do not know what to
think, or fear. The night is very dark, and the weather stormy. Sir
Charles has just sent off a servant to obtain some information:—how
we all long for his return!
Eleven o’clock. The servant is come back; but no intelligence of
Charles. He left Mr. Friendly’s soon after dinner, about four o’clock.
Dear mother, where can he be? Drowned, I fear:—perhaps—perhaps
what? I am afraid even to write the strange thoughts and conjectures
which come into my head—I never seemed so much alive before, my
soul feels as if it would fly out of my body to search for Charles—dear
Charles! Lady Grandison sits silent; Emilia does nothing but cry; and
Edward runs through the house quite frantic: Sir Charles endeavours
to comfort his Lady, and has need of comfort himself. He has sent
several servants different ways, and waits impatiently for day-break,
when he intends going himself.—O that he would take me with him!
One o’clock, and no news of Charles. We are none of us in bed—
and indeed who could sleep! My eyes feel as if they would never close
again—I cannot cry.
Half after four. Thank Heaven—Charles is safe. The servant, who
attended him, is just arrived. It was not his fault, that we had so
much uneasiness; no pleasure—no company detained him.—But Sir
Charles insists on it, that we go to bed for a few hours. I cannot sleep,
though I must go to bed.—I do not want sleep, Charles is safe. Why
does my joy make me cry? I did not weep when I thought I should
never, O never see him more.—Well, I must go to this same bed.—
Good morning to you, Madam. I declare the birds are beginning to
sing—how can I sleep?

WILLIAM.
LETTER XLIII.
William to his Mother.

Now you shall hear the servant’s account—I long to tell you all
about an affair, which is to clear my friend;—for a moment you must
not think ill of him.
Charles set out from Mr. Friendly’s soon after dinner, Harry, his
man, of course attended him. The weather had been all day lowering;
they quickened their pace; but such a thick mist arose gradually, they
could scarcely see two yards before them. Charles, though he is very
courageous, shewed some signs of fear, and they then rode slowly,
observing every step, when they saw at some little distance, a man
lying in the middle of the road. What is that? said Charles, holding-in
his horse. A man who has drank more than he ought, I suppose,
answered Harry. Pray, Sir, ride a little quicker, it grows late. No,
replied Charles, for if the man is drunk, we must endeavour to help
him out of the highway, or he may be rode over in the dark. Saying
so, he jumped off his horse: but how terrifying was the sight!—He
saw an old officer lying weltering in his blood. He spoke to him; but
received no answer. The gentleman is dead, cried Harry. No, no,
interrupted Charles, he has only fainted through loss of blood. What
shall we do? What can we do? replied Harry. Let us gallop on to the
first village to procure assistance. What, and leave the man bleeding,
said Charles, with warmth; he would die before we could even reach
the village.—Do you not see how he bleeds? Tie our horses fast to
that tree, and make haste to assist me, I must not let a man die
without doing my best to save him. He then pulled off his clothes,
and tore his shirt; and finding that the wound was in the head, he
wiped away the gore, and bound the linen round it; he did it several
times before he could stop the effusion. After the operation, they
lifted him cautiously, and laid him on the grass, near the road side.
Good heavens, said Harry, it begins to be quite dark, and the mist is
so thick, we shall never be able to find our way; and how uneasy they
will all be at home. O that is true, said Charles; come, let us go.—And
he advanced a step or two; but turning his eyes on the poor officer,
they filled with tears, and he stood thinking half a moment—and
then burst out.—No, I cannot, will not leave you in this condition; I
do not occasion the uneasiness my parents will feel to gratify myself;
I ought not to deliberate a moment: ride on directly to the next
village, or to the first cottage you spy, and prevail on some man to
return with you; and all together we may carry this poor man to a
shelter, and procure further help.
HARRY.
I dare not leave you here alone, your father would never forgive
me.
CHARLES.
Heaven will preserve me; and as to the blame, I will take care it
shall not fall on you. I tell you, if you will not go, I will go myself.

Harry did not wait to expostulate any more, but did as he was
ordered; and fortunately soon reached a little farm-house, which
they might have seen from the road, had it been a clear night. He
went in and told the case to the man who lived there, and begged him
and his son immediately to go with him. The farmer at first seemed
reluctant, he was tired, and just preparing to go to bed, after a hard
day’s work; but when Harry told him he should be well recompensed,
he fetched a sort of handbarrow, and laid a mattrass on it, and
followed to the place. Before they reached it, Charles had the
satisfaction to see the officer open his eyes, and come gradually to
himself; and looking wistfully at Charles, he said, falteringly, Who
are you, young man, who thus alone, this dismal night, supports my
wounded head? Did you bind this linen round my temples? I have
been so happy, replied Charles, as to arrive in time to be of service to
you; I had a servant with me, but I have sent him for further
assistance, that you may be removed to some house. What reflection,
what fortitude! faintly cried the weak man.—Do not exhaust yourself,
Sir, interrupted Charles; I have only done my duty—indeed my heart
bled for you, I could not have left you. Harry and the men that
moment joined them; they all assisted, and laid the officer on the
handbarrow; but the fatigue was too much for him, and he fainted
again through weakness. They walked very slow, and at length
brought him into the cottage; and Charles sent the farmer for a
surgeon. And what is now your intention? asked Harry. To stay here
this night, replied Charles; I cannot think of leaving this venerable
old man with strangers, who do not seem the most humane people in
the world. Do you hasten home, and tell them what has happened,
and then I shall wait with comfort till to-morrow, and see myself that
the poor man is properly attended—I will be his nurse. Harry was not
willing to leave him; but he spoke in such a positive tone of voice,
Harry thought it vain to attempt to dissuade him; so, much against
his inclination, he rode away; and would certainly have relieved us
soon from all our anxiety, if the thick fog, and his vexation together,
had not made him lose, or mistake the short by-road, which leads
directly through the wood to the house; he wandered about till the
first peep of dawn, and then entered the parlour trembling. We had
all our eyes and mouths open, ready to catch the news—and we
began to ask so many questions in a breath, Sir Charles was obliged
to command silence, that we might hear the account. He praised the
servant, gave him a guinea, and desired him to go to bed for an hour
or two, and then come to him, before he returned to his son, to
whom he would send a message, and some money to enable him to
pay the surgeon, and supply the wants of the invalide.
But how will the tender heart of my friend suffer, when he hears
what we have endured. Lady Grandison went to bed very ill; but, I
hope, she is now better; I have not seen her this morning. I long to
know if the poor officer is alive or dead.

WILLIAM.
LETTER XLIV.
William to his Mother.

We have Charles here again, dear mother. O how rejoiced was I to


see him! The old officer is better, and we are all happy.
We sat down cheerfully this morning to breakfast, and did not then
expect to see him. Emilia saw him first, she flew from her chair; there
is my dear brother Charles! cried she, and ran to meet him as quick
as possible. They came into the house hand in hand; but Charles let
his sister’s hand go, as he entered the room, and ran to his father.—I
will relate the conversation word for word.
CHARLES.
Can you forgive me, dear father, for having caused you so much
uneasiness?
SIR CHARLES.
Let me embrace you—you are dearer to me than ever; our
uneasiness was not your fault, you have done your duty to your
fellow-creature without forgetting your parents. How is the
gentleman you have assisted?
CHARLES.
The officer is better, but still very weak.
LADY GRANDISON.
But, my dear, is he alone in that cottage? Will they take proper
care of him?
CHARLES.
I have not left him alone with them, his own son is now with him.
As soon as the old gentleman recovered his recollection, he
mentioned his place of abode, which was not very distant. I sent to
inform his children of the accident; and his eldest son set off
immediately, and soon arrived at the cottage. When I had committed
him into the hands of his son, I was eager to return home to my
parents.
SIR CHARLES.
You were right, your presence was not then necessary; but has the
poor man means to provide himself with what is requisite in his weak
state?
CHARLES.
Yes, I enquired, and find he is in very good circumstances. Did I do
right, Sir? I only rewarded the farmer, and gave Harry a trifle: and
now I will return the remainder of the money you sent me.
SIR CHARLES.
You may keep it, and distribute it as you please. I am now treating
you like a friend—a man; I allow you to exercise, according to the
dictates of your own heart, the noblest priviledge of our nature, that
of doing good: and do it often in secret, let the plaudit of your own
heart, be your only recompense.
LADY GRANDISON.
How did you pass the night? Did you sleep at all?
CHARLES.
Believe me, I thought little of myself, I had before me a dying old
man—I could think of nothing else. I desired some clean straw to be
laid, near the sick man’s bed, but I made no use of it. My uneasiness
on your account, and my painful anxiety for the officer, banished
sleep from my eyes.
EMILIA.
Poor Charles, to be obliged to sleep on straw.
CHARLES.
I should have slept on that as well as in my bed, if my heart had
been at ease.
SIR CHARLES.
Charles is right; it is peace of mind and health of body which
procures that refreshing sleep so necessary to recruit our exhausted
powers. The softest bed will not afford rest to a troubled mind, or a
disordered body.
EDWARD.
Who knows, when I am in the army, how many nights I may be
obliged to sleep on the ground, without even the straw Emilia
despises.
SIR CHARLES.
That may happen; and before young people make choice of a
profession, they should arm themselves against the inconveniences,
which consequently attend it: always remembering, that every state
of life has its pains and pleasures. Every station is eligible, and will
afford us heart-felt joy, if we fill it conscientiously: it is about our
conduct, not our situation, that we should bestow most thought; and
be more anxious to avoid evil than pain.
EDWARD.
I dare say, the king himself has his cares and sorrows as well as the
meanest of his subjects.
SIR CHARLES.
Certainly. He is a man, none are exempt; God is no respecter of
persons; they please him, who do good, and attend to truth: it
matters not whether it be in a palace, or a mud hovel.

When we were alone, Charles said, I knew my father would not be


displeased with me; yet if it had been possible, I wished not only to
have spared him the anxiety my absence occasioned, but to have
asked his advice. I followed the impulse of my heart—yet I do it with
more pleasure, when his sanction assures me my feelings do not lead
my reason astray.
WILLIAM.
LETTER XLV.
William to his Mother.

I have another proof to give you, my honoured mother, of the


goodness of heart Charles continually exhibits. A gentleman, who
visits very frequently this family, made him a present of a beautiful
spaniel; young Falkland, our neighbour, had often asked for it; but
the gentleman refused to give him it, because he treats his own dogs
cruelly. You must know, Falkland has already five dogs, besides cats,
pigeons, and a parrot. These afford him his chief employment; not to
make them happy, but to please himself. Though he has so many, he
was very much vexed that he could not get this dog. And what do you
think happened? The dog died suddenly, and we have by chance
discovered that Falkland made one of his servants poison the poor
animal.—What monsters there are in the world! Yes, he must be a
monster, I think, who deprives another of a pleasure when he
receives no benefit from it himself. But the following conversation,
when we were walking in the garden, soon after the discovery, will let
you see how Charles behaves, even when he is angry.
WILLIAM.
I cannot help grieving about the poor dog.
CHARLES.
I acknowledge I am very sorry; I did not think that the loss of a dog
would have affected me in such a manner;—but it was a very faithful
one—and then the horrid agonies it endured—I cannot forget its
groans.
EDWARD.
It was a villainous action of Falkland to destroy that poor beast in
such a manner.—If it had happened to me, I could never forgive him.
CHARLES.
I can.—If I could not forgive him, I should be as wicked as himself.
EDWARD.
You are too good. I, for my part, hate him.
CHARLES.
I do not hate him, but I despise his vices;—and I pity him, for it is
much to be feared he will become a bad man; an envious cruel heart
seldom reforms itself, Dr. Bartlett says.
EDWARD.
Yesterday you called that treacherous fellow friend;—you see you
are sometimes mistaken.
CHARLES.
I am apt to be mistaken in this particular; it is so pleasant to love
and think well of people.
EDWARD.
But will you any longer keep up the acquaintance?
CHARLES.
No, certainly, without my father desires it; I should with difficulty
conceal my dislike—it was such a mean action.
EDWARD.
Bravo! Now you speak to my mind; and, if you like it, I will give
him a good drubbing.—Say yes, and I will make his bones ache.
CHARLES.
That would not give me back my poor dog.
EDWARD.
I will tell you what—he has five dogs, let us poison some of them;
that he deserves at least.
CHARLES.
But those poor dogs—what have they done?
EDWARD.
I am curious to know, what my uncle will say of this pretty trick; he
has always spoken slightingly of young Falkland.
CHARLES.
That is a sign he could penetrate into his mind, and saw his bad
temper. I will, in future, pay more attention to his advice, and
observations on characters. But now I think of it, Edward, we will not
tell my father that Falkland poisoned my dog. Let us try to make him
feel ashamed, by shewing him we despise revenge—I should like to
mortify him this way.
WILLIAM.
You are very generous.
CHARLES.
Let us talk of something else—my dog is dead, I will try to make
myself easy—I wish I could forget the torments it endured.—It is a
very fine evening.
EDWARD.
Look, look! What do I see yonder in that tree?
WILLIAM.
It is a parrot.
EDWARD.
How fortunate!—It is Falkland’s parrot; it has flown away from
him, and perched itself there: it looks frightened. How vexed he will
be—he should not have that creature again for ten guineas.
CHARLES.
How the poor creature trembles.—I can climb softly up the tree
and catch it;—do not make a noise.
EDWARD.
And so you will send it to Falkland again, to please him.
CHARLES.
No, for something else.
EDWARD.
He has killed your dog, and you will allow his favourite parrot to
live when it is in your power. I think it mean-spirited.—Can you have
a better opportunity to revenge yourself on that rascal?
CHARLES.
Yes, I can take a more noble revenge; by returning good for evil, I
shall let him see how much I am his superior: and that will highly
gratify me.

Immediately Charles mounted the tree, and caught the bird, whose
feet were entangled in the branches. He then sent it by a servant to
Falkland—and returned to us with a smiling face; I hardly ever saw
so much satisfaction in his countenance: and when Edward still
continued to laugh at him, he replied, I felt pleasure in returning
good for evil, my pride impelled me to act thus, as well as a sense of
duty; I do not pretend to any great merit in conquering one feeling to
gratify another, but I should have been inexcusable if I had
tormented an innocent helpless bird, merely to vex a being I despise.
Nay, my anger would have been mean and selfish; I should only
resent the loss of my dog, and not feel indignation on account of the
vices this loss has forced me to discover in a character I was partial
to. I shall forget my dog, long before I shall be able to drive from my
remembrance a cruel action done by a fellow-creature. Charles
looked teased, and Edward ceased to blame him,—and I tried to
amuse him.

WILLIAM.

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