Chemistry in the Environment: Soil, Water, and Air Soils 397A, 3 credits Spring 2011 Course Syllabus (subject

to change)

Instructor and Contact Information: Dr. Carmen Enid Martnez, Office: 418 ASI Building, Mailbox: 116 ASI Building, Telephone: 814-863-5394, email: cem17@psu.edu Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Location: 101 Wagner Office Hours: By Appointment. Prerequisites: One year of college chemistry. Contact Dr. Martnez if you have any questions.

Course Description, Objective and Approach: This course provides a global perspective to the chemical principles, composition and processes that operate within and between soil, water and air environments. The course is designed to develop a working level knowledge of chemistry fundamentals and the basic principles and concepts of environmental chemistry. Upon completion of this course, students will have a basic understanding of soil, water, and air chemical principles and their applications. Topics will be introduced within the areas of air chemistry, soil chemistry, and water chemistry. The students will be able to link theoretical concepts to environmental problems.

Class Materials: Textbook: Environmental Chemistry, A Global Perspective, Gary W. vanLoon and Stephen J. Duffy, Oxford University Press, Third Edition, 2011. Journal articles: occasionally, papers will be assigned for discussion in class. Lectures will be posted in Angel.

Grading Policy: Course grades will be determined based on exams, homework and class participation. The following system will be used:

Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Homework Participation

22.5 % grade 22.5 % grade 22.5 % grade 22.5 % grade 10 % grade

Exams: Three exams will be given during the semester. The first exam will focus on the topics covered within Part I - Air Chemistry. The second exam will cover some of the topics included in Part II - Water and Soil Chemistry: water, colloids and their properties; gases in water; and soluble species in aquatic and terrestrial systems. The final exam (Exam 3) will emphasize, but will not be restricted, to topics covered within retention mechanisms; weathering and soil formation; and acid and saltaffected soils. The exams will include definitions, multiple choice, short answers, mathematical problems, etc. Be aware that the subjects covered in class build upon themselves so that you need to know the early material in order to understand the material covered later in the class. There will be no make-up exams or homework except in cases where arrangements were made before the exam or homework is given. Homework: Homework assignments will be given based on topics discussed in class. Participation: Everyone is expected to attend class and participate in discussion. Grading Formula: Specific grades are as follows: 90.0 % = A; 89.980.0 % = B; 79.9-70.0 % = C; 69.9-60.0 % = D; 59.9 % = F.

University and College Academic Integrity Policies: Academic integrity, as defined by University Faculty Senate Policy 49-20, is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.

Lecture Topics and Approximate Schedule (subject to change): Lecture # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Date (1/11) (1/13) (1/18) (1/20) (1/25) (1/27) (2/1) (2/3) (2/8) (2/10) (2/15) (2/17) (2/22) (2/24) (3/1) (3/3) Topic Course Introduction Part I Air Chemistry Tropospheric Chemistry: Smog Tropospheric Chemistry: Precipitation Atmospheric Aerosols The Chemistry of Global Climate Readings* Notes Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 8

Exam 1 Part II Water and Soil Chemistry Aquatic and Terrestrial Systems: Water, Colloids and their Properties

Chapters 9, 14, and 18

Gases in Water

Chapter 11

----------------------- SPRING BREAK (3/7 to 3/11) ----------------------(3/15) Soluble Species in Aquatic and Terrestrial Chapters 10, 12, and 13 Systems: Role of pH, Ligands, and Redox (3/17) (3/22) (3/24) (3/29) (3/31) (4/5) (4/7) (4/12) (4/14) (4/19)

Exam 2 Reactions at the Solid-Water Interface: Retention Mechanisms

Chapters 14 and 20

28 (4/21) Weathering and Soil Formation 29 (4/26) Acid and Salt-affected Soils 30 (4/28) * Page numbers will be specified in class.

Chapter 17 Chapter 18