Chemistry
CHEM 230 Environmental Chemistry (4)
We will examine the fate of contaminants in a variety of environments and explore the implications for human and ecosystem health. Quantitative approaches are emphasized, including structure-activity relationships, methods of estimating chemical activity, and mass balance calculations. We will use these tools to predict how organic chemicals partition between air, water, soils/sediments, and biomass, and estimate environmental concentrations given basic information about chemical structures, transformation processes, and environmental characteristics. We will explore these topics in the context of applied problems, case studies, and a comprehensive site analysis project.