Chemistry and Issues in the Environment
Exam Information

Spring 2008

Exam 1: Wednessday, March 5th

  • Sample Questions for Exam 1

  • What to Study - some things to concentrate on for Chapters 1 and 2 (so far) (also see sample questions):

    • Chapter 1: criteria pollutants, sources and problems associated with them, naming compounds, general info about the atmosphere (pressure with altitude, major components, regions), combustion and incomplete combustion, photochemical smog, converting ppm to % and % to ppm, scientific notation, AQI, balancing equations, writing combustion equations.

    • Chapter 2: ozone: formula, why is it important, chapman cycle, how it protects us from UV radiation and in what range. The relationship between energy, frequency and wavelength, UV range. Ozone depletion (CFC role in), CFC alternatives, how CFCs deplete ozone, how can one Cl atom destroy 100,000 ozone molecules. Lewis dot structures. Atomic number and mass number - also protons, nuetrons and electrons and how they relate to these. Main factors behind the formation of the ozone hole over Antartica.

      Also, be sure to review the lewis dot practice sheet.

  • Solutions to homeworks 1-3 are available on Blackboard.

Exam 2: Monday, April 7th

  • Sample Questions

  • What to Study - some things to concentrate on (also see sample questions):
    • Chapter 3: molecular shape, molar mass, moles to grams, grams to moles, greenhouse gases, sources of greenhouse gases, ir radiation, molecular vibrations, CO2 and temperature data, IPCC conclusions, Kyoto agreement
    • Chapter 4: composition and advantages and disadvantages of the three fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, petroleum), endothermic/exothermic reactions, calculating the heat of combustion from bond energies, coal burning power plants (general structure, calculating theoretical efficiency), structural isomers, petroleum refining, cracking, catalytic reformation, gasoline additives, octane number.

    Problem Set Solutions

  • Solutions to homeworks 5-6 are available on Blackboard

Exam 3: Wednesday, May 14th

Exam 3 will include chapters 5-7. See the sample questions, what to study and some additional help links below.

  • Sample Questions

  • What to Study - some things to concentrate on (also see sample questions):

    • Chapter 5: water purification, hard and soft water, concentrations, water purity (MCL and MCLG), solubility, bonus question on wastewater treatment plant trip.

    • Chapter 6: acid rain, how/where sulfur oxides are produced, sources of nitrogen oxides, the pH scale, definition of acids and bases, calculating pH from concentration, calculating concentration of H+ from pH, coal - sulfur composition and how to lower sulfur dioxide emissions (switching, washing, scrubbing), definition of acid rain, pH of "normal" rain, effects of acid rain on people, objects, and lakes and streams, acid neutralizing capacity.

    • Chapter 7: nuclear fission, isotopes, nuclear reactions, definitions of alpha and beta decay, writing nuclear equations, chain reactions, radioactivity, nuclear power plants, general features, safety features of nuclear power plants (U.S. versus Chernobyl), sources of background radiation, rems, definition of a half-life, fate of spent fuel from nuclear reactors (problems and dangers).

  • Problem Set Solutions

    • Solutions to homeworks 7-9 are available on Blackboard (10 will be available Monday evening).

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