ENCE 688-O

Environmental Behavior of Organic Pollutants

Dr. Alba Torrents

This course discusses the types of scientific data needed and methods currently available to assess the environmental risk of organic chemicals. Applications of principles from chemical thermodynamics will be used to study phase-transfer processes of organic pollutants in the environment (solid/water, solid/air, water/air). Physical-chemical properties of organic pollutants will be used to estimate partitioning. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of how physico-chemical and structural properties relate with the partitioning of organic pollutants. We will discuss the role of mathematical models and the transfer and applications of environmental chemistry to environmental technology. Students will learn to predict chemical properties influencing transfers between hydrophobic organic chemicals, air, water, sediments, and biota, based on a fundamental understanding of intermolecular interactions and thermodynamic principles.

Prerequisites:

General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, ENCE-433 or ENCE-633 or permission of instructor.

Text:

Schwarzenbach, R.P.; Gschwend, P.M.; Imboden, D.M. Environmental Organic Chemistry, Wiley-Interscience, Ny, 1993. Supplemental readings will also be provided.

Grades:

• Problem sets 20%
• Quizzes 10%;
• 2-Exams 40%;
• Paper 20%;
• Presentation 10%.

Homework and exams emphasize applications of principles discussed in class to quantitative solui on of problems representative of those faces by environmental chemists and engineers.

SOLUTIONS

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by Alba Torrents
Last Modified November 1, 1996