Inorganics

Question 1

Metals

Answer 1

Elements, cannot be created or destroyed on Earth, makes up earth’s crust

Question 2

Metal speciation

Answer 2

the form(s) taken by an element in an environment sample

Question 3

Metals in solutions

Answer 3

May exist as “free metal ions” or metal ligand complexes where the ligand may be inorganic or organic

Question 4

Heavy metals

Answer 4

Old classification, heavier than iron

Question 5

Arsenic

Answer 5

Occurs in minerals associated with sulphur, but can exist as pure crystal element

Question 6

Bradford Sweets Poisoning

Answer 6

Arsenic trioxide was purchased instead of daff (gypsum) and made into humbug candy

Question 7

Natural sources of arsenic

Answer 7

weathering, volcanic activity

Question 8

Anthropogenic sources of arsenic

Answer 8

pesticides, herbicides, byproduct of smelting gold, lead, cobalt and nickel

Question 9

Bangladesh Arsenic poisoning

Answer 9

most people live within seas level, tubewells used to avoid organic contaminates in the delta, but waster has high levels of arsenic

Question 10

What are the effects of prolonged arsenic poisoning?

Answer 10

Skin legions, nerve damage, increased cancer risk, aresnicosis

Question 11

What is Na+ important for?

Answer 11

Osmoregulation

Question 12

What is K+ important for?

Answer 12

Membrane potential

Question 13

What is Ca2+ important for?

Answer 13

Various functions, eg. Muscle contractions

Question 14

Why do metals persist in the environment

Answer 14

They are not biodegradable

Question 15

Class A Metals

Answer 15

Oxygen seeking, complex with O>N>S

Question 16

What class is aluminum?

Answer 16

Class A

Question 17

Camelford water pollution incident

Answer 17

Twenty tonnes of aluminum sulphate accidentally dumped in water supply, neural damage, premature aging, aluminum “ring” in bone bipsy

Question 18

What class is iron?

Answer 18

Class A

Question 19

Iron

Answer 19

Acute toxicity from over ingestion, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, weak pulse

Question 20

What class is lithium?

Answer 20

Class A

Question 21

Lithium

Answer 21

Toxicity from over ingestion or reduced excretion, “low-sodium” diets, cases tremors

Question 22

What class is barium?

Answer 22

Class A

Question 23

Barium

Answer 23

Acute toxicity from ingestion, shuts down passive efflux of K form cells, muscle paralysis, cardiac arrhythmmia, hypokalemia

Question 24

What are intermediate class metals?

Answer 24

Between class a and b metals

Question 25

What kinds of bonds does class A metals tend to form?

Answer 25

Hard ionic bonds

Question 26

What kinds of bonds does class B metals tend to form?

Answer 26

Softer covalent bonds

Question 27

What class of metal is Nickel?

Answer 27

Intermediate metal

Question 28

Nickel

Answer 28

Used in Ni-Cd batteries and as an alloy, toxic and carcinogenic, vomiting, vertigo, tachycardia, cardiac arrest, shortness of breath, "giddiness", pulmonary or nasal cancers

Question 29

What class of metal is lead?

Answer 29

Intermediate metal

Question 30

Lead

Answer 30

Used in solder, pipping, ammunition, gasoline, paint, affects neural development, hypertension, anaemia, renal impairment, immunotoxicity

Question 31

Class b metals

Answer 31

Complex with S>N>>O, sulphur or nitrogen seeking

Question 32

What molecules do class b metals target?

Answer 32

Amino acids, proteins, free nucleotides

Question 33

What class of metal is cadmium?

Answer 33

Class B

Question 34

Cadmium

Answer 34

Metal alloy production, electroplating, galvanizing, generates ROS (reactive oxygen species), affects DNA repair, mutations/chromosomal breakages

Question 35

What was the Itai-itai disease caused by?

Answer 35

Cadmium

Question 36

What are anthropogenic courses of metal polluion

Answer 36

Industry, urban waste, agriculture, ash/cinders, paints, marine boats, lumber, tannery

Question 37

Organometals

Answer 37

More likely to enter organisms, tend to be more toxic than their parent metals

Question 38

Tributyl tin (TBT)

Answer 38

antifouling compound, used in water environments, prevents build up on bottom of boats

Question 39

Tetraethyl lead

Answer 39

Used in gasoline, anti-knock compound, most Pb in city dust believed to come from leaded gasoline

Question 40

Methyl mercury

Answer 40

Occurs in environment due to biomethylation, mercury has no biological function, neurotoxin, microorganisms trasnfrom inorganic Hg into methyl mercury (aerobic and anaerobic sediment), lipophilic

Question 41

Biomagnification

Answer 41

the accumulation of a chemicla in an organism from consumption of lower trophic levels

Question 42

Bioaccumulation

Answer 42

the accumulation of a chemical in an organism over its lifetime

Question 43

Ammonia

Answer 43

Kills fish, burns plants, two forms ammonia (unionized) NH3, ammonia (ionized) NH4+

Question 44

What are the sources of ammonia

Answer 44

landfills, sewage, farms, fertilizer, steel mills, pulp and paper mills

Question 45

Chlorine

Answer 45

Highly toxic and reactive, used by industry and for water treatment

Question 46

Cyanide

Answer 46

produces large amounts in mining and metals processing, gold mining, effects ATP production in mitochondria