Chem 112: Environmental Analysis
BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE
Instructor: Bansi Kalra Office: Dana 230 Phone: x6542
||Laboratory Experiments in Environmental Chemistry by D. Neal Boehnke and R. Del Delumyea
||Some Lab handouts will be provided by the instructor.
Lectures: Monday 9:10-10:00
a.m. Dana 113
1:30-5:00 p.m Dana 222
Quizzes and Grades
|*Final Paper and Class Presentation
|Lab Attendance and Reports
- The tests will consist of the reading material assigned to you, the material covered in class, and experiments done in the lab.
- *You will write a 7-10 page paper and present a talk on a topic (chosen in consultation with the instructor) in environmental chemistry at the end of the class.
To a large extent, this is a hands-on class. It will introduce you to some of the techniques involved, and the instruments used, in the chemical analysis of environmental pollutants. The techniques and instruments used range from simple titrations using burets and pipets for the determination of water hardness, to determining the amount of CO present in your car exhaust using a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) Spectrophotometer, and determining the amount of trace metal(s) in used oil from an airplane engine using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. In general, you will perform experiments to determine water quality, check air quality, and collect and test a soil sample for the presence of trace metals.
Attendance: Regular attendance is a must for a class of this nature.
- More than TWO unexcused absences from
the lab will result in a grade of F.
- Every absence from the lecture part of the course will reduce your grade
by 10% and more than three absences will result in a grade of F.
- No make-up labs will be allowed,
except if you had to miss a lab due to an emergency (Proof Required). Lab
Reports are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday following the lab period.
If you miss a class because of a medical problem,
a note from your attending physician is required for an
excused absence. For an excused absence from a class due to a required court appearance,
or other unavoidable circumstances, appropriate proof is required.
You are responsible for making up the missed work.
Please check the dates for tests, quizzes and exams, and, if possible, do not make any medical appointments with your doctor or plane reservations that will keep you away from the class. Grade on a missed test/quiz will be a ZERO
To avoid disturbing the class, the doors to the classroom will be closed at the beginning of the class. Please make sure, you are seated by that time.
Tentative Schedule of Labs
Check In, Safety Rules, Introduction, Use of Balances, and Microsoft Excel.
||Review of Solution Chemistry: Concentration Units, and making of Solutions.
||Water Analysis I: Measurement of Alkalinity and Acidity
||Water Analysis II: Hardness of water (EDTA Titration)
||Water Analysis III. Conductivity of various waters/Total dissolved solids)
||Water AnalysisIV: Determination of Dissolved Oxygen (Winkler Method)
||Water Analysis V: Measurement of Phosphate Concentration (Spectronic 20)
(i) Chloride in Natural Waters: Mohr Method
(ii) Collection of Soil Samples from around the Hollins Campus
|| Trace Metal Analysis: Iron in used Airplane Oil (AA)
||Preparing soil samples. (Grinding, sieving, dissolving etc.)
||Analysis for calcium in soil and lead in dust (Read EPA Fact Sheet: Identifying Lead Hazards in Residential Properties)
|| Air Analysis I: Determination of CO to CO2 ratio in the car exhaust (FTIR)
||Student Presentations, and Checkout