Environmental chemistry
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Atmospheric chemistry
- Composition and structure of the atmosphere
- Photochemistry: ozone formation and destruction
- Stratospheric ozone depletion: CFCs and catalytic cycles
- Tropospheric ozone and smog formation
- Acid rain: SO₂ and NOₓ chemistry
- Greenhouse effect and climate forcing agents
- Aerosols and particulate matter
- Atmospheric dispersion and box models
- Indoor air quality: VOCs, radon, combustion products
- Air pollution control technologies
Aquatic chemistry
- Water quality parameters: DO, BOD, COD, turbidity
- Acid-base chemistry of natural waters
- Carbonate system and alkalinity
- Metal speciation and complexation in water
- Redox chemistry: Eh-pH diagrams
- Nutrient cycling: nitrogen and phosphorus
- Eutrophication and algal blooms
- Dissolved organic matter and colloids
- Sediment–water interactions
- Wastewater treatment chemistry overview
Soil and geochemistry
- Soil composition: minerals, organic matter, pore water
- Cation exchange capacity and soil buffering
- Sorption: partition coefficients and isotherms
- Biodegradation and microbial transformations
- Heavy metal contamination and mobility
- Acid mine drainage chemistry
- Pesticide fate in soil
- Soil remediation: bioremediation, phytoremediation (intro)
- Geochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen, sulfur
- Isotope tracers in environmental systems (intro)
Toxic organic chemicals and risk
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
- PCBs, dioxins, and PAHs: sources and fate
- Pesticide chemistry and environmental behavior
- Bioaccumulation and biomagnification
- Toxic equivalency factors and risk assessment
- Endocrine disruptors and emerging contaminants
- PFAS chemistry and environmental persistence
- Pharmacological and personal care products in water
- Environmental fate models: fugacity approach (intro)
- Regulatory frameworks: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA
STEM / applied
Field and laboratory methods
- Water sampling protocols and preservation
- EPA standard methods for water analysis
- Gas chromatography for VOC analysis
- ICP-MS for trace metal determination
- Ion chromatography for anions in precipitation
- Spectrophotometric nutrient analysis
- Field meters: pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen
- Quality assurance for environmental data
- Data reporting for regulatory compliance
- GIS and spatial analysis of contamination (intro)
Applied environmental chemistry
- Drinking water treatment: coagulation, filtration, disinfection
- Industrial wastewater pretreatment
- Hazardous waste characterization
- Brownfield site assessment
- Environmental impact assessment chemistry
- Carbon capture and storage chemistry (overview)
- Renewable energy environmental footprints
- Green chemistry in manufacturing
- Climate policy and carbon accounting
- Case studies: Love Canal, Flint water crisis, Exxon Valdez
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Atmospheric chemistry
Composition and structure of the atmosphere
Coming soon - Aquatic chemistry
Water quality parameters: DO, BOD, COD, turbidity
Coming soon - Soil and geochemistry
Soil composition: minerals, organic matter, pore water
Coming soon - Toxic organic chemicals and risk
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Coming soon
Notes
Topics reflect common environmental chemistry syllabi at US colleges and universities. Interdisciplinary connections to ecology, policy, and engineering are common. Field trips and lab analysis of real samples may be included.