Science Environmental Chemistry Flashcards
Environment
the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
Elements
pure substances that cannot be broken down into other substances
Pollution
any change in the environment that produces a condition that is harmful to living things
Issues
any subject of importance about which people have strong, conflicting points of view
Fertilizers
substance that enriches soil so that plants will grow better
The forms of nitrogen and phosphorus found in fertilizers that can cause excess plant and algae growth in aquatic environmants
Nitrate
Phosphate
Pest
organism that harms people, plants, or structures
Pesticide
Chemical used to kill pests
Insecticide
Chemical used to kill insects
Herbicides
Chemical used to kill plants
Fungicides
Chemical used to kill fungi
Landfill
an area where waste is buried under the ground
Sanatary Landfill
sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe
Sewage
wastewater containing dissolved and undissolved materials from your household
Sewage Treatment Plant
building and grounds containing special equipment to treat water
Effluent
wastewater released from a factory or sewage treatment plant after it was been treated
Storm Sewer
large pipes that carry runoff water from yards and streets directly into a river
Fossil Fuels
fuel formed from dead plants and animals
Sour Gas
natural gas that contains hydrogen sulfide
Sweet Gas
natural gas that does not contain hydrogen sulfide
Viewpoint
a way of looking at or thinking about something
pH
measure of the percent of hydrogen ions in a solution
Acid
compound that dissolves in water to form a solution with pH less than 7
Base
compound that dissolves in water to form a solution with pH greater than 7
Neutral
pH of 7
pH meter
a device used to measure the pH of a substance using a probe placed into the solution
Litmus Paper
a special paper used to determine whether a substance is an acid or a base
Blue is base
Neutralization
reaction between an acid and a base that produces water and a salt
Acid Rain
dangerous precipitation formed when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve in the water droplets in clouds.
Organic
compounds whose molecules contain carbon (excluding CO2, CO, carbonates cyanides
Inorganic
compounds whose molecules do not contain carbon
Nutrients
elements and compounds that organisms need for living growing and reproducing
Macronutrients
nutrients that organisms need in relatively large amounts
Micronutrients
nutrients that organisms need in very small or trace amounts
Optimium Amount
amount of a substance that provides an organism with the best health
Carbonhydrates
organic molecules made up of atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Lipids
organic molecules made up of atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Insoluble in water
Amino Acid
building blocks of protein
Proteins
organic compound made up of units called amino acids
Enzymes
catalyst involved in chemical reactions in living things
Nucleic Acid
largest and most complicated molecules found in all the cells of living things
Diffusion
process in which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower consentration
Osmosis
diffusion of water through a semi permeable membrane
Active Transport
process in which plant cells use energy to move nutrient molecules through diffusion
Ingestion
process by which we take food into our bodies
Mechanical Digestion
type of digestion including the process of chewing
Chemical Digestion
reaction of a substance with water where the substance is broken down
Hydrolyzed
broken down by water
Substrate
surface on which an organism lives or moves
Quality
how suitable water is for various applications based on its non-water content
Indicator Organisms
living organisims in water that help determine water quality
Invertebrates
animals without backbones
Part per Millon (ppm)
the number of parts of a dissolved substance in one million parts of total solution
Dissolved O2
a measure of how much oxygen gas is dissolved in a water source, measured in ppm
Spring Acid Shock
a sudden increase in the level of acidity in a
water system in spring, due to acid meltwater
Toxicity
how poisonous a substance is
LD50
the amount of a substance that causes 50% of a group of test animals to die
Heavy Metals
metals with a density of 5g/cm3 or more
Major air pollutants that cause smog and acid rain
Sulfur Dioxide
Nitrogen Oxides
Scrubbers
a device used by industrial and electrical generating plants to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions
Carbon Monoxide
an odourless and colourless gas
Greenhouse Gases
atmosphere gases that trap heat from the Sun
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
the effect caused by even more heat than normal being trapped excess greenhouse gases put into our atmosphere
Global Warming
worldwide temperture increase
Ozone Layer
layer of O3 high up in the Earth’s atmosphere
Chlorofluorocarbons
or CFCs; chemicals traditionally used as propellents
Dispersion
scattering of a substance away from its source
Water Table
the top of the groundwater zone
Permeable
description of a substance that contains connected pores that fluids can flow through
Impermeable
the opposite of permable in the part about flowing through
Leachate
liquid that dissolves and carries substances
Dilution
mixing of a substance with air or water causing the reduction of the concentration of that substance
Biodegradation
breakdown of materials by organisms
Aerobic
relating to oxygen
Anaerobic
relating to no oxygen
Phytoremediation
clean up of the environment through the use of plants
Photolysis
breakdown of compounds by sunlight
Biomagnification
increase in the concentration of a chemical as it moves up the food chain
MSDS
detailed info sheet that alerts people of the dangers of chemicals
