Polytechnic University of the Philippines

COLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE Sta.

Mesa,

Manila A TERM PAPER ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY OF THE

ENVIRONMENT
(chemical reactions present in land, water, air and effects of pollution in it)

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Chemistry for Engineers I.

Submitted by:
Rhey Aaron Tahir

October 2019
INTRODUCTION:

We live in a planet that is rich in biodiversity, all things are present to

sustain and support almost all kind of living organism. This are all primer

knowledge we all know about are planet earth. but little do we know there is

something more than that, what if I say “Chemical Reaction” also play a great

role in our planet. Every process, every reaction, every phenomena is

possibly connected and caused by chemical reaction. All of this

processes/reaction that made our planet sustainable can be easily ruined by

us humans. We humans produces all kind of waste all kind of pollution that

ruins this chemical reactions.

The air we breathe there is a chemical reaction. The water we drink,

the water we use to wash and clean has its chemical reaction. All land forms

from tall mountain to wide lands has its processes and chemical reaction

also time comes no more fresh air to breathe no more clean water to drink,

and beautiful landforms can be nowhere to find, specially chemical reactions

that play a vital role to our earth in order to sustain life is ruined all because

of pollution.

There are plenty kind of pollution and we humans are great

contributors of these pollutions. From the smoke that our cars and factories
emit that causes carbon dioxide to trap in our ozone layer that causes

greenhouse gas effect. Waste that we throw to bodies of water, oil spill, etc.

that can choke all life forms that are living in the water. Same goes with lance

pollution. And all of this can not only stop those present chemical reaction

that are within our planet but can also be harmful to us humans or worst, the

earth can no longer support life or us humans anymore.

BODY:

Earth - our home, is the third planet from the sun. It's the

only planet known to have an atmosphere containing free

oxygen, oceans of water on its surface and, of course, life.

Water covers roughly 71 percent of Earth's surface, and most of that is

in the oceans. About a fifth of Earth's atmosphere consists of oxygen,

produced by plants.

Chemical Reaction - A chemical reaction is a process that leads to

the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another.

Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the

positions of electrons in the forming and breaking of chemical

bonds between atoms, with no change to the nuclei (no change to the

elements present), and can often be described by a chemical

equation. Nuclear chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that involves the

chemical reactions of unstable and radioactive elements where both

electronic and nuclear changes can occur.

A. Chemical reactions in the lithosphere

Lithosphere- is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-

type planet, or natural satellite, that is defined by its rigid

mechanical properties. On Earth, it is composed of the

crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves

elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater

Chemical weathering- is the weakening and subsequent disintegration of

rock by chemical reactions. These reactions include oxidation, hydrolysis,

and carbonation. These processes either form or destroy minerals, thus

altering the nature of the rock’s mineral composition. Temperature and,

especially, moisture are critical for chemical weathering; chemical

weathering of rock minerals generally occurs more quickly in hot, humid

climatic regions.
Oxidation- is the reaction of rock minerals with

oxygen, thus changing the mineral composition

of the rock. When minerals in rock oxidize, they

become less resistant to weathering. Iron, a

commonly known mineral, becomes red or rust colored when oxidized.

Carbonation -is the process of rock minerals reacting with carbonic acid.

Carbonic acid is formed when water combines with carbon dioxide.

Carbonic acid dissolves or breaks down minerals in the rock.

CO2 + H2O → H2CO3

(carbon dioxide + water → carbonic acid)

CaCO3 + H2CO3 → Ca2+ + 2HCO3-

(calcite + carbonic acid → calcium + bicarbonate)

Hydrolysis- is a chemical reaction caused by water. Water changes the

chemical composition and size of minerals in rock, making them less

resistant to weathering. Click on the video clip below to see hydrolysis of a

relatively weathering resistant mineral, feldspar. When this mineral is

completely hydrolyzed, clay minerals and quartz are produced and such

elements as K, Ca, or Na are released.

A hydrolysis reaction of orthoclase (alkali feldspar), a common mineral

found in igneous rock, yields kaolinite, silicic acid, and potassium.

2KAISi3O8 + 2H+ + 9H20 → H4Al2Si2O9 + 4H4SiO4 + 2K+

(orthoclase + water → kaolinite + silicic acid + potassium)

Hydration is the absorption of water into

the mineral structure. A good example of

hydration is the absorption of water by

anhydrite, resulting in the formation of

gypsum. Hydration expands volume and

also results in rock deformation.

Pollution in the lithosphere and its effects

Some of the highly impacts on the Lithosphere are deforestation, use of

land, and mining.These impacts damage the Lithosphere by cutting into the

Earth's surface and impacting the Lithosphere.

Pollution can also be a bad output to the Lithosphere.It causes chemical

substances to eat away at the Lithosphere.

Another dangerous way the Lithosphere is effected is something no one

can control. It is earthquakes, and volcano eruptions. When these things

happen it also causes rocks to break apart and sink deeper into the Earth

and damage stuff more important, because the Lithosphere is the top layer

of the Earth.Also its not just humans that impact the Lithosphere,other

sphere are also the cause of this destruction.For example the Hydrosphere

is all about water, and when it rains the water breaks part of the

Lithosphere into tiny rocks which is harming it. And the Biosphere has living

things such as trees and moles.Trees dig into the Lithosphere causing it to

break apart.And moles dig down deep into the Earth, deep enough to get

into the Lithosphere.Finally the atmosphere causes the wind to bow rocks

into each other causing it to break apart.Everyday we step on this part of

the Earth, and everyday it is being harmed by us.

B. Chemical reaction in the Hydrosphere:

hydrosphere -is the combined mass of water

found on, under, and above the surface of a

planet, minor planet or natural satellite.

Although Earth's hydrosphere has been

around for longer than 4 billion years, it continues to change in size.

B.Chemical reaction present in the hydrosphere

Water Cycle - Water changes from a liquid to a gas by evaporation to

become water vapor. The Sun's energy can evaporate water from the

ocean surface or from lakes, streams, or puddles on land. Only

the water molecules evaporate; the salts remain in the ocean or a

freshwater reservoir.

.Evaporation- A puddle of water left undisturbed eventually disappears. The

liquid molecules escape into the gas phase, becoming water

vapor. Vaporization is the process in which a liquid is converted to a

gas. Evaporation is the conversion of a liquid to its vapor below the boiling

temperature of the liquid. If the water is instead kept in a closed container, the

water vapor molecules do not have a chance to escape into the surroundings and

so the water level does not change. As some water molecules become vapor, an

equal number of water vapor molecules condense

back into the liquid state.

Condensation- is the change of state from a

gas to a liquid. In order for a liquid molecule to escape into the gas state, the
molecule must have enough kinetic energy to overcome the intermolecular

attractive forces in the liquid. Recall that a given liquid sample will have

molecules with a wide range of kinetic energies. Liquid molecules that have

this certain threshold kinetic energy escape the surface and become vapor.

As a result, the liquid molecules that remain now have lower kinetic energy.

As evaporation occurs, the temperature of the remaining liquid decreases.

You have observed the effects of evaporative cooling. On a hot day, the

water molecules in your perspiration absorb body heat and evaporate from

the surface of your skin. The evaporating process leaves the remaining

perspiration cooler, which in turn absorbs more heat from your body.

Submlimation- Substances such as water and carbon dioxide (CO2) can

be charted on a pressure versus temperature plot to reveal their state of

matter (solid, liquid, or gas) at a given temperature and pressure. At a

typical atmospheric

pressure, we know that

water is a solid at
temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius, a liquid from 0 to 100 degrees

Celsius, and a gas at higher temperatures. Atmospheric pressure,

however, can change, particularly with altitude. Higher altitudes yield lower

atmospheric pressures.

Pollution in the hydrosphere and its effects

Pollution of the hydrosphere is a major problem. When we think of

pollution, we sometimes only think of things like plastic, bottles, oil and so

on. But any chemical that is present in the hydrosphere in an amount that is

not what it should be is a pollutant. Animals and plants that live in the

Earth's water bodies are specially adapted to surviving within a certain

range of conditions. If these conditions are changed (e.g. through

pollution), these organisms may not be able to survive. Pollution then, can

affect entire aquatic ecosystems. The most common forms of pollution in

the hydrosphere are waste products from humans and from

industries, nutrient pollution e.g. fertilizer runoff which causes

eutrophication (an excess of nutrients in the water leading to excessive

plant growth) and toxic trace elements such as aluminum, mercury and

copper to name a few. Most of these elements come from mines or from

industries.

C. Chemical reaction present in the atmosphere

Atmosphere - is a layer or a set

of layers of gases surrounding a

planet or other material body, that

is held in place by the gravity of

that body. An atmosphere is more

likely to be retained if the gravity it

is subject to is high and the temperature of the atmosphere is low.

Chemical Reaction- Molecules in the atmosphere are continually moving

and colliding with one another, as described by the kinetic-molecular

theory. The atmosphere is also continually illuminated during daylight

hours. As a result, absorption of light energy by atmospheric molecules can

cause photochemical reactions, reactions that would not occur at normal

atmospheric temperatures in the absence of light. Such reactions play an

important role in determining the composition of the atmosphere itself and

the fate of many chemical species that contribute to air pollution.The bulk

composition of the air (99.997% by vol.) consists of mainly N2, O2, Ar, and

CO2. About 99% of the mass of the atmosphere is located below 50 km, in

the stratosphere and the troposphere. These gases are no doubt the key

components to life. As a matter of fact, life will not cease to exist without

the presence of these elements and we can find them anywhere and to

anyone.

Pollution in the hydrosphere and its effects

Atmospheric pollution is the

release of a harmful chemical or

material into the atmosphere. The

consequences can be devastating

- carbon dioxide, for example, is

one of the major causes

of climate change, while nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide combine to form

harmful acid rain. Not all pollution is directly man-made, however,

such as the release of ammonia from livestock. Ammonia is toxic to many

aquatic animals and can lead to soil acidification and smog.

Atmospheric pollution is also harmful to human health. It has driven cancer

to be the main cause of death in China, the poster country for smog, and

more than half of Americans are breathing unacceptable standards of air.

In the UK alone it is thought that air pollution causes 29,000 deaths every

year.

Conclusion

all naturally occurring chemical reaction occurring in our planet has its

own purpose some are in a kind of process or cycle and all of this are in

order to maintain balance and to sustain life. The major factors that ruin this

reaction are pollution cause by us humans. If this pollution will continue

maybe we will no more have a place to live.

Global warming, Climate change, etc. are the effects of pollution that

are produced by us humans. We all aware of the effects of our own

products but because of greed and also lack of discipline our planet is the

one that suffers. The processes should not be messed because of our own

greed and lack of discipline because these processes or chemical reactions

are the that gives us food, fresh water to drink, fresh air, also land to live.

Without this we will not make it, we will not survive.

It’s not enough that we only know the processes, how the chemical

work or react because all of this knowledge would mean nothing if will be

not use for the greater good of all human beings It’s not too late to start. Let

us use this knowledge and save our home planet

Bibliography

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https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lithosphere/

Plant and Soil Science eLibrary (2019) Types of Weathering – Chemical.

Retrieved from

http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1

124303183&topicorder=4&maxto=7

Libretext (2018) Evaporation and Condensation. Retrieved from -

https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/College_of_Marin/Marin%3A_CHEM_1

14__Introductory_Chemistry_(Daubenmire)/12%3A_Liquids%2C_Solids%2

C_and_Intermolecular_Forces/12.4%3A_Evaporation_and_Condensation
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https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-sublimation-phase-transition-

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Siyavula. Retrieved from- https://www.siyavula.com/read/science/grade-

10/the-hydrosphere/23-the-hydrosphere-05

UCAR.edu, Earth’s Atmosphere. Retrieved from -

https://scied.ucar.edu/shortcontent/earths-atmosphere