IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
Each section below relates to a section of the IB syllabus. Some of the sections also have some appropriate
references or internet links that you can use for reference.
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=11&secNum=0#
Carbon cycle http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/visual/animation.php?shortname=anm_carbon_cycle
E.1 Primary Air Pollution
1. What is ‘primary' air pollution? ‘Secondary' air pollution?
2. What are the pollutants that contribute most to air pollution?
E.1.1 Describe the sources of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, particulates, and
hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. And D.1.2 Outline the effects of primary air pollution on health.
1 Carbon monoxide: http://www.airinfonow.org/html/ed_co.html
a.
Write the balanced chemical equation for methane reacting with oxygen to produce carbon
monoxide and water.
b.
Identify the both the natural sources of CO: and the anthropogenic sources of CO:
c.
Describe the effects of CO on health:
2. Nitrogen Oxides, NO and NO2 (NOx):
http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/Information_ss/Nitrogen_oxides_5h4.html
a.
What forms of nitrogen oxides are there in the atmosphere?
b.
What are the natural sources and the anthropogenic sources:
c.
Describe the effects NOx on health:
3.
Sulfur dioxide http://www.easthampton.k12.ma.us/webpages/ecallaghan/files/sulfur_cycle.swf
a.
Write the balanced chemical equation for the production of sulfur dioxide from solid Sulfur and
oxygen.
b.
Identify the both the natural sources of SO2 and the anthropogenic sources of SO2:
c.
Describe the effects of CO on health:
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
4.
Particulates http://www.airinfonow.org/html/ed_particulate.html
a.
What are the common sources of particulates in the atmosphere
b.
What sizes of particulates are most hazardous
d.
Identify the both the natural sources and the anthropogenic sources of particulates
d.
Describe the effects of particulates on health particularly with respect to size
5.
Hydrocarbons
a.
What are volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)
b.
Identify both the natural sources and anthropogenic sources of Hydrocarbons:
c.
Effects on health:
E.1.3 Discuss Methods for the reduction of primary air pollution. Refer to your handouts as well as the
online resources.
1.
Which primary pollutants can be caused by vehicle exhaust?
2. We have already done this just review…For each of the following methods, state which pollutant it
decreases and describe how it works:
A Lean Burn Engines
B Catalytic Converters http://www.absorblearning.com/media/attachment.action?quick=ve&att=2250
C. "Scrubbing" (refer your handouts)
D Fluidized Bed Combustion
3.
What are lean combustion engines designed for?
4.
What catalysts are used in catalytic converters.
5.
Describe how electrostatic precipitation works:
6.
What are some other methods that can be used to remove sulfur from coal and oil before
combustion?
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
E.2 Ozone Depletion : Use your study guide, handouts, and see the website
http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/part1.html
E.2.1 Describe the formation and depletion of ozone by natural processes.
1.
What is ozone?
2.
Where is the ozone layer located?
3.
Write two equations that occur during the natural formation of Ozone. What is the role of UV in this
process?
4.
Ozone is destroyed naturally in the environment. Write the reactions for the natural destruction of
ozone. Where does the energy come from to break the bonds in the ozone.
5.
Which requires more energy, the breaking of an O2 molecule or the breaking of an O3 molecule?
Explain.
6.
What is the importance of the ozone and how vital is it for humans?
7.
At ground level, ozone is a health hazard. Why?
E.2.2 List the pollutants, and their sources, that cause the lowering of ozone concentration.
1.
How do we know that the amount of ozone in the ozone layer has been decreasing?
2.
What is the main cause of the decrease in ozone?
3.
What is a CFC? What are its components?
4.
CFC's are commonly used by humans. Give Examples.
5.
What properties of CFC's lead to ozone depletion and how?
6.
If CFC's are heavier than air then how do they get to the stratosphere?
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
7.
Other substances that damage the ozone layer are oxides of nitrogen. What are the manmade
sources of these compounds?
E.2.3 State the environmental effects of ozone depletion
1.
Ozone Depletion leads to increased UV radiation entering the earth. How is UV Radiation dangerous
for life on earth?
2.
What are the 3 most widely known effects of UV (on humans)?
3.
What is the effect of ozone depletion on weather systems?
E.2.4 Discuss the alternatives of CFC's in terms of their properties : See your notes and handouts
1.
List some substances that can be used as alternatives of CFC's.
2.
What properties should these alternatives have?
3.
The most important replacements are HCFC's hydro fluorocarbons. What are the properties that
make them a good alternative? Give examples.
E.9.1 Explain the dependence of O2 and O3 dissociation on the wavelength of the Light.
1.
Define resonance structure.
2.
How many resonance hybrids does ozone have? Draw their Lewis structures.
E.9.3 Outline the reasons for greater ozone depletion in Polar Regions. : Follow the links to atmosphere,
then ozone hole http://sparce.evac.ou.edu/q_and_a/the_ozone_hole.htm
1.
Is Ozone the same everywhere?
2.
Ozone loss was first detected in the stratosphere over the Antarctic. Why is the Ozone Hole observed
over Antarctica when CFC's are released mainly in the Northern Hemisphere?
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
3.
The graph on the next page shows the measured total ozone above the Halley Bay station in
Antarctica. E ach point represents the average total ozone for the last 20 years the month of October. In
which year is there a sudden change in the curve? Suggest reasons for this dramatic fall of ozone.
E.3 Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming
Tutorial : http://163.16.28.248/bio/activelearner/55/ch55intro.html
E.3.1 Describe the Greenhouse effect. Refer to the handouts you received in class
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/visual/animation.php?shortname=anm_greenhouse_effect
1.
What is the greenhouse effect?
2.
How does it affect the Earth's temperature?
3.
Why is this necessary to biological organisms?
4.
Describe the enhanced greenhouse effect?
5.
Draw a model illustrating the greenhouse effect
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
E.3.2 Describe the major greenhouse gases and sources :
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/greenhouse/
See also the IB notes you received
1.
Listed below are a number of greenhouse gases For each identify the characteristics listed in the
table
Gas
Sources
Global warming potential
Contribution to Global
Warming
CO2
N2O
CH4
H2 O
O3
CFC's
2.
What makes a gas a greenhouse gas?
3.
Which gas is the single largest contributor to the greenhouse effect?
4.
What evidence is there to suggest that human activity is responsible for the enhanced greenhouse
effect and global warming?
a.
What anthropogenic gas is the major contributor to the greenhouse effect?
E.3.3 Describe the possible effects of global warming :
http://www.ecn.ac.uk/Education/climate_change.htm#Globally
Follow the link ‘global warming' and the link on ‘impacts'
1.
What are the possible effects of global warming?
2.
Which regions would suffer from the effects of global warming? Which regions would benefit? Why?
E.3.4 Describe the effect of particulates on global warming : Follow the link to ‘aerosols
1.
What is the effect of particulates on global warming?
2.
Why wouldn't particulate emission be an effective way to counteract global warming?
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
Greenhouse Effect Tutorial
1.
Can atoms and molecules absorb ay amount of radiation? Or only certain
amounts which are specific to the substance?
2. In what other situation did we learn about energy being quantized?
3. Watch the greenhouse effect tutorial.
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/gilbert2/contents/ch09/studyplan.asp scroll
down to the link for Greenhouse Effect.
a. How is the Earth warmed?
b. What kind of energy does the Earth give off when warmed?
c. What temperature would the Earth be if there were no greenhouse gases? _____
d. What happens to the molecules when they absorb infrared radiation?
e. Do the molecules give off infrared radiation? What happens when they do?
f.
When the molecules give off radiation, does it always go off into space?
g. Why don’t the greenhouse gases absorb solar radiation (hint: see question 1)?
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
h. List important greenhouse gases and their sources (you may need to use other sites to find
sources if you don’t know them).
i.
Infrared radiation is one way that heat can be transferred from one object to another.
Have you seen or heard of infrared cameras? They detect living organisms because living
organisms are warm and give off infrared radiation. Explain why greenhouse gases keep
the Earth warm.
4. Is the greenhouse effect a bad thing for life on Earth? Explain.
5. Some people confuse the ozone layer and greenhouse effect. What is the role of the ozone layer?
How is it different from the greenhouse effect?
Acid Rain Animation
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/acid_anim.html
http://www.absorblearning.com/media/attachment.action?quick=vd&att=2248
1. a. Explain why rain water is naturally slightly acidic. Give an equation to support your answer.(2)
b. Identify the two major pollutants that cause acid rain. For each, state the man made source.(4)
c. For each of the pollutants mentioned in B, outline two different methods by which their contribution to acid
rain could be reduced. (4)
2. a. The pH values of five liquids are 1.2, 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, and 7.2. Identify which two of these values are most
likely to be those of acid rain. (1)
b. Identify an oxide that causes acid rain and write an equation for its reaction with water. (2)
c. State two ways in which emissions of the oxide identified can be decreased. (2)
IB HL Chemistry - Option E: Environmental Chemistry : Option D Study Guide
Water Cycle Tutorial
http://www.absorblearning.com/media/attachment.action?quick=ve&att=2250
1.Identify the two locations that hold most of the Earth’s water. (2)
a. List the methods to purify water
http://www.absorblearning.com/media/attachment.action?quick=uz&att=2220
b. Outline the filtration method of water purification
http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1189706528512&lang=eng
2. Only a small part of the Earth’s supply of fresh water is used for domestic purposes. State the two main
uses of fresh water.(1) http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/quality-water-filtration-method.htm
3.. a. Outline how ion exchange is used to obtain fresh water from sea water (4)
http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1197668952891&lang=eng
b. Outline the method of reverse osmosis used to obtain drinking water from sea water. (3)
4. Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of reverse osmosis over simple distillation. (2)
http://www.absorblearning.com/media/attachment.action?quick=v3&att=2228
c. Explain what is meant by the term biological oxygen demand (BOD). Compare the values of BOD for water
that is pure and water that contains organic waste. (3)
a. Explain the meaning of the term biological oxygen demand (BOD). (2)
Disinfection : http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1189707124712&lang=eng
3. Discuss the use of chlorine and ozone to treat drinking water. Include in your answer reference to : (4)
The reason for the difference in cost
The retention times
The quality of water after treatment