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Name: ____________
Date: ____________
Unit C: Environmental Chemistry Topic 1
 What chemical does willow bark contain? ________________________________
 Who is known as the Father of Medicine? Why was he known as this?
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 Which company created the Aspirin? What was used in making aspirin?
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1.0 The environment is made up of chemicals that can support or harm living
things.
____________ is one of the chemicals essential for life. Water enables __________________ to
dissolve and be transported in and out of your body. Aquatic ____________, ______________,
and ________________ absorb ___________________ and use it to release energy
through____________________________.
1.1 Chemicals in the Environment
All living things are made of ____________ and depend on ___________ to survive. Without
____________and____________, green plants could not produce sugar for food. Without
____________, plants and animals could not carry out cellular respiration. Forest fires and
volcanoes release large quantities of ____________, ____________ and ___________, which
can be harmful to living things. Many chemicals that we use can cause harm.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen occurs naturally in the atmosphere as Nitrogen gas (N2). In order for living organisms
to be able to use this nitrogen, the two atoms must be separated (fixed), so they can easily
combine with other elements to form usable compounds.
 Draw a diagram to illustrate the nitrogen cycle.
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 In your own words explain the steps involved in the Nitrogen Cycle. You may write your
answer in complete sentences or use point form.
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 Define nitrogen fixation and explain in which two ways nitrogen can be “fixed.”
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Processes and Activities that Affect Environmental Chemicals
 Define a natural process. Give two examples of natural processes.
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 Define pollution.
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Human Activities
Many chemicals are released into the air, water and soil every day. Activities such as
agriculture, sanitation, water and waste treatment, industrial processes, manufacturing,
transportation can change the concentration of different chemicals and cause an imbalance. If
this becomes a problem, an issue is born, which can have various points of view.
 What is an issue?
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Agricultural Activities
Farmers need to have an understanding of chemistry to produce good crops. They have to
know which chemicals to use to improve plant growth and which chemicals to use to control
pests.
 What are fertilizers?
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 Which chemicals are typically found in fertilizers?
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 How can fertilizers be harmful?
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 What are pesticides?
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 What are herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides?
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 How can pesticides be harmful?
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Solid Wastes
 What are solid wastes?
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 How do sanitary landfill sites prevent chemicals from moving into the ground water?
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Wastewater
 Explain the following terms:
sewage- _________________________________________________________________
septic tank- ______________________________________________________________
sewage treatment plant- ___________________________________________________
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effluent- ________________________________________________________________
storm sewers- ____________________________________________________________
Fuel Combustion
 What are fossil fuels and how are they formed?
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 What elements make up fossil fuels?
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 Which pollutants are released during the combustion of fossil fuels?
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 Write the basic equation for the combustion reaction.
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Industrial Processes
The generation of electrical energy, mineral processing and fertilizer production can release
harmful chemicals (sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides) into the air. Natural gas contains
compounds such as methane, ethane, propane, and butane. If natural gas contains hydrogen
sulfide it is called____________. If it doesn't it is called ____________. When hydrogen sulfide
is removed, sulfur dioxide is produced. Laws have been made to reduce these emissions, and
the recovery of most of the pure sulfur has enabled the natural gas processing plants to
manufacture sulphuric acid, which is used in making fertilizers, steel, synthetic fibers and paint.
1.2 Acids and Bases
 What is an acid?
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 What is the pH?
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Industrial processes and fuel combustion produce large quantities of _____________________,
____________________, and _________________, which combine with water droplets in the
air to form _______________.
 What acids do sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide form when mixed with
water?
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 Define bases.
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pH Scale
 Describe the pH scale. What are the pH ranges for acids, neutral solutions, and bases?
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Measuring pH
 What is an acid-base indicator? Give 3 examples of acid-base indicators and how they
react to acids and bases.
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Neutralization
 Define neutralization. Provide an example of neutralization.
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 Write the basic equation for a neutralization reaction.
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Neutralizing the Effects of Acid Rain
Rain drops are slightly _____________. The rain drops dissolve ________________ from the air
to form a very weak __________________________. Although raindrops have a pH of _______,
in some areas of Canada, ________________ has a pH of ___________. Acidic lakes can be
neutralized with __________________________. ____________ is dissolved in water to form a
__________ solution. It reacts with the _____________________________ of the lake’s water,
and the reaction produces _______________________ and ____________________.
1.3 Common Substances Essential to Living Things
 What are the three most common elements in living things?
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 What are some examples of substances that these common elements make?
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 What are organic and inorganic substances?
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Macronutrients
 Define nutrients.
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 What are macronutrients? Give three examples of macronutrients that plants require to
live.
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 What are micronutrients?
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Fill in the chart.
Nutrient
Importance to Plants
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Importance to Animals
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Maintaining the Right Level of Nutrients
 Why is it important to have the right level of nutrients for different plants?
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Optimum Amounts
 Why is it important to have optimum amounts of nutrients such as selenium?
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Type of Organic Molecules
Define the following organic molecules and draw a picture of each molecule.
 Carbohydrate
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 Lipid
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 Amino acids
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 Proteins
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 Nucleic Acids
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1.4 How Organisms Take in Substances
Plants and animals rely on the ___________________ for substances required for living. Plants
take _______________________ to make _____________________, which animals use for
_____________, ______________, and ______________. Consumers obtain these compounds
by __________________________ or ________________________________ that eat plants.
Sometimes animals will take in other substances, which can either be ________________, like
the flavoring in pop, or ________________, like mercury.
Uptake of Substances by Plants
 Define diffusion.
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 Define osmosis.
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 Define active transport.
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Ingestion and Absorption of Materials by Animals
the process of taking food into our bodies is called ________________. Most ingested food
must be broken down into ________________________ so that it can be absorbed into the
body. Food can be broken down both _______________________ and
_____________________. An example of mechanical breakdown is ___________________, and
food is broken down chemically with the help of ___________________ to _______________
the chemical reactions. The breakdown or digestion of large organic molecules occurs by a
process called ________________________. “________” refers to ____________, and
“_____________” means _________________. Nutrients such as __________ and
____________________ are absorbed by ____________________ and into the
_______________.
Taking in Nutrients in Different Environments
 Why would living in different environments affect how and when organisms obtain
nutrients?
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 What is a substrate? Name three organisms that are attached to their substrate. Try to
use one that is not in the textbook.
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