CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS LEARNING MODULE

Program: Bachelor of Science in Computer Topic: THE CHEMISTRY OF THE

Engineering ENVIRONMENT
Course: CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS Instructor: ENGR. RUJEVI S. BADAGUAS
Code NSCI01 Module #: 2 Week #: 3-4 # of Pages: 12

I. Preliminaries
Introduction to the This module is all about the study of environmental chemistry. It includes the
Module Objective interaction of chemistry to the environment which includes all the forms of
contaminants and the types of pollutants that can be found in our surrounding as well
as its effects to humans. Also included here is the discussion about global warming and
greenhouse gases. Also stated here are the steps or processes of nitrogen cycle. There
is also a discussion of oxygen cycle and the carbon cycle that is included in this
module.
Assessment/ Evaluation
Section Topics Learning Outcomes Modality
1. Differentiate contamination and Presentation via
SECTION 1: Global Warming Discussion/participatio
pollutant MOODLE
n
SECTION 2: Carbon Cycle 2. Explain the chemical processes
02 Quiz 1
relevant to a range of key
SECTION 3: Nitrogen Cycle environmental issues
02 Laboratory
SECTION 4: Oxygen Cycle 3. Identify the markers that can trace Experiment 1: Foamy
Global Warming and Geological Soda
Factors

II. Instructions
Keywords and concepts

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY – the discipline that deals with chemistry and environment

POLLUTANTS – foreign substance that pollutes something

CONTAMINANTS – a foreign substance that changes another substance’s components. It may or may not
be harmful to living things

STOCK POLLUTANTS – materials from the environment that have low absorptive capacity

FUND POLLUTANTS – materials from the environment that have some absorptive capacity

POINT SOURCE – contaminant is released directly into water sources

NON-POINT SOURCE – contaminant seeps into water supplies and onto the atmosphere as rain

ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS – carbon-based chemicals which can get into water through runoff from
croplands or discharges from factories.

INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS – mineral-based compounds such as metals, nitrates, and asbestos

ACID / BASE CONTAMINANTS – water-contaminating chemicals that significantly affect water’s pH levels.

RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS – deposits of radioactive substances on surfaces (or within solids), liquids,
or gases where the radioactive components of an unstable substance must not be there.

ENVIRONMENTAL MARKERS – these are markers used by environmental chemists to test the levels of
contamination in the environment

DISSOLVED OXYGEN - the amount of oxygen measured in waterforms

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND – measures oxygen used by microorganisms to decompose organic wastes

CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND – measures amount of organic compounds present in water

TURBIDITY – measures the solution’s opacity, which is caused by suspended materials

GLOBAL WARMING – a phenomenon where excess greenhouse gases trap heat, warming the surface of the
Earth, resulting in polar icecaps melting, sea levels rising, and changing the migration patterns and range of
some species

GREENHOUSE EFFECT – a phenomenon where atmospheric gases prevent heat from being released back
into space

WATER CYCLE – the most common cycle

WATER VAPOR – one of the top gases released by volcanoes

ACID RAIN – precipitation whose pH levels are lower than the average rainwater pH in nature

WET DEPOSITION – deposition in moisture, forming acid rain.

DRY DEPOSITION – may deposit to surfaces quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form
larger particles that can be harmful to human health

NUTRIENT LEACHING – the addition of hydrogen ions to the soil reacting with already-existing minerals,
resulting to the decrease of important soil nutrients

CARBON DIOXIDE – natural greenhouse gas, supplied largely by human

METHANE – colorless, odorless, and flammable gas (a hydrocarbon) released during organic decay as well
as in coal formation

NITROUS OXIDE – a colorless gas which primarily causes smog (a yellow-brown haze) along with other
nitrogen oxides (𝑁𝑂𝑋), which doesn’t break down quickly

OZONE – a natural layer of trioxygen gas, located nine (9) to 30 miles up in the atmosphere, protects
organic life from ultraviolet (UV) radiation

CHLOROFLUOROCARBON – man-made compound, composed only of chlorine, carbon, and fluorine chains
that is designed as refrigerants and as air-conditioning

HYDROFLUOROCARBON – an organic compound, composed of hydrogen and fluorocarbon chains, replaced

CFCs as refrigerants and air-conditioning

CARBON CYCLE – the global movement of carbon between the abiotic environment, including the
atmosphere and ocean, and organisms

NITROGEN CYCLE – nitrogen, and its compounds, combine with rainwater, and with other free gases in the
atmosphere

NITROGEN FIXATION – nitrogen gas is converted into inorganic nitrogen compounds

NITRIFICATION – a process carried out by nitrifying bacteria, transforms soil ammonia into nitrates, which
plants can incorporate into their own tissues

DENITRIFICATION – the process where nitrates are metabolized by denitrifying bacteria to free nitrogen
and returned to the atmosphere

AMMONIFICATION – the remains of all living things-and their waste products- are decomposed by
microorganisms which yields ammonia

NITROGEN ASSIMILATION – assimilation of nitrates and ammonia resulting from nitrogen fixation into the
specific tissue compounds of algae and higher plants

DISSOLUTION – chemical wear of an acid to a surface within a long time period

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 OXYGEN – the most common element of the human body

OXYGEN CYCLE – biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen within its three main
reservoirs

PHOTOSYNTHESIS – it is when plants take in carbon dioxide and water and use them to make food

RESPIRATION – the process that breaks apart simple food molecules to release energy

OZONE LAYER – a region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation

OZONE DEPLETION – a steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total volume of ozone in Earth’s
stratosphere

BREATHING – the scientific name for breathing is respiration. All animals and plants use up oxygen when
they breathe. They breathe out carbon dioxide.

DECOMPOSING – when plants and animals die, they decompose. This process uses up oxygen and releases
carbon dioxide.

RUSTING – this is also called oxidation. When things rust they use up oxygen.

COMBUSTION – there are three things needed for fire: oxygen, fuel, and heat. When things burn, they use
up oxygen and replace it with carbon dioxide

THE CHEMISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

It is probably true to say that the term environmental chemistry has no precise definition. It means
different things to different people. We are not about to offer a new definition. It is clear that
environmental chemists are playing their part in the big environmental issues —stratospheric
ozone (O3) depletion, global warming and the like. Similarly, the role of environmental chemistry in
regional-scale and local problems —for example, the effects of acid rain or contamination of water
resources —is well established. Let us start with a lyrics breakdown of the song “PARAISO” which
is being sung by a young group named “SMOKEY MOUNTAIN”. After analyzing the lyrics, let us
try to answer some questions which we know reflects the current situation of the planet. Here are
the following questions:

 What is the song lyrics about?

 Are the lyrics relevant to the current situation on our planet?
 Did the message impacts more if sung?
 What did you feel after singing along?
 How is this song connected to our lesson?

We know that everyone has a hand in changing the course of the environment’s dilemma by
understanding the cause.

SECTION 1: GLOBAL WARMING

We said that environmental chemistry is the discipline that deals with chemistry and environment.
Our discussion will illustrate the clear link in our minds between environmental chemistry and
human beings. For many people, ‘environmental chemistry’ is implicitly linked to ‘pollution’. We
know that ‘environmental chemistry’ has a much wider scope.

The definition of environmental chemistry stresses two (2) important things to be managed, which
are pollutants and contaminants Terms like contamination and pollution have little meaning without
a frame of reference for comparison. Both pollutant and contaminant are unwanted and waste
materials.

 A contaminant is a foreign substance that changes another substance’s components. It may

or may not be harmful to living things. An example would be a drop of balsamic vinegar to a
glass of distilled water. The water is still drinkable, but it’s not technically water anymore
because it has been contaminated with balsamic vinegar.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

  A pollutant is a foreign substance that pollutes something. It is a component that can harm
living things. Going back to the original example, balsamic vinegar, upon contaminating the
water, kills any germs and bacteria present in water. This makes balsamic vinegar a
pollutant to germs, but not to humans.

How can we hope to understand the behavior and impacts of chemical contaminants without
understanding how natural chemical systems work? For many years a relatively small group of
scientists has been steadily unravelling how the chemical systems of the Earth work, both today
and in the geological past. The discussions here will draw on a small fraction of this material. Our
aim is to demonstrate the various scales, rates and types of natural chemical processes that occur
on Earth. We also attempt to show the actual or possible effects that humans may have on natural
chemical systems. The importance of human influences is usually most clearly, when direct
comparison with the unperturbed, natural systems is possible.

Types of Pollutants

1. STOCK POLLUTANTS are materials from the environment that have low absorptive
capacity (e.g. persistent synthetic chemicals, non-biodegradable plastics, and heavy
metals). Over time, stock pollutants build up in the environment. As more pollutants are
produced, the damage they cause increases and continues as the pollutant builds up. Stock
pollutants can affect the future generations by passing on the damage that continues.

2. FUND POLLUTANTS are materials from the environment that have some absorptive
capacity. Fund pollutants do not cause damage to the environment unless the production
rate exceeds the receiving environment's absorptive capacity (e.g. carbon dioxide, which is
absorbed by plants and oceans). Fund pollutants are not destroyed but converted into less
harmful substances or diluted/dispersed to non- harmful concentrations instead.

Forms of Contamination

1. Point source - contaminant is released directly into water sources. Most often the factories
throw their waste products to near the bodies of water

2. Non-point source - contaminant seeps into water supplies and onto the atmosphere as rain.
Waste products does not directly go along with water. It combines with water runoff after
raining then seeps to the soil then evaporates and lastly it precipitates.

Kinds of Contaminants

1. ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS are carbon-based chemicals which can get into water through
runoff from croplands or discharges from factories.

2. INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS are mineral-based compounds such as metals, nitrates,

and asbestos; they are naturally-occurring in some water, but can also get into water
through farming, chemical manufacturing, and other human activities.

3. ACID / BASE CONTAMINANTS are water-contaminating chemicals that significantly affect

water’s pH levels.

4. RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS are deposits of radioactive substances on surfaces (or

within solids), liquids, or gases where the radioactive components of an unstable substance
must not be there.

Chemists – especially environmental chemists, use several markers to test the levels of
contamination in the environment. Such markers are called environmental markers. For example,
“If water is contaminated, what quality can we test it for to prove that it is really contaminated?”
The environmental chemists test the contaminated liquid’s turbidity to determine its level of
contamination, as well as determine the harmful contaminants found in the environment. Turbidity
is determined usually by visual cues, such as changes in color, visibility of particulates, etc.
However, that contaminants can’t be easily determined by vision alone. Specific tools are used to
determine whether the turbid liquid contains harmful substances or not. But why it is important to
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS
 determine the harmful contaminants in liquids? It’s because humans and plants needs liquid in
order to sustain life. Here are the most common contaminants found in the environment:

 Common Air Contaminants  Common Water Contaminants

o Ground ozone o Silicates
o Carbon monoxide o Chlorine compounds
o Sulfur dioxide o Calcium
o Lead o Fluorine compounds
o Nitrogen oxides o Magnesium
o Carbon dioxide o Phosphorus compounds
o Methane o Bicarbonates
o Chlorofluorocarbons o Sulfur compounds
o Nitrates
o Iron compounds

Global Warming

There’s this one question that always come to our minds. “What is the major environmental
problem we are facing right now?” This is such an easy question to answer and we definitely
know the answer. Since the living things are responding differently because of the changes in the
Earth’s chemistry, it is very much evident in the phenomenon known as global warming.

There is a comic strip which emphasizes a major change in our environment. And as the boss is
talking to his people one of his men made a joke. What the man said is a bit insulting to the boss.
But this comic strip only wants to inform us that due to global warming, many changes have been
happening to the Earth which is not very usual.

Another picture shows two different season, the summer and spring. But we are lucky enough that
in our country we only have two seasons, rainy season and hot season while on other part of the
world there is four seasons like winter, spring, summer and autumn. And as we analyze deeply
with the picture, it is most likely that the very dry seasons is the one that we will encounter in the
near future.

Another question the we need to analyze is that, “What contributes to global warming?”. We
know that global warming is caused by greenhouse gases, which creates a greenhouse effect.
Greenhouse effect causes global warming and has been a global phenomenon since the
beginning. The long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system. It is a
major aspect of current climate change, and has been demonstrated by direct temperature
measurements and by measurements of various effects of the warming.

Global warming, a natural process, only became a major issue when human activities and
inventions began to alter the natural process of global warming.

The Warming Greenhouse

Many different things can affect the climate of our planet. Understanding more how the Earth
works can help us understand how our planet acts like a greenhouse and how changes in the
balance of the Earth system can change the climate.

The Sun is the source of all energy on our planet. But many different factors affect how much of
the sun’s energy is let into the Earth system and how much of it is let out into space. Making sure
that just enough is let in and out is a delicate balance. Currently the system is not in balance and
more heat is let in than is let out.

Greenhouse Gases

A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, example carbon
dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons.

A phenomenon where excess greenhouse gases trap heat, warming the surface of the Earth,
resulting in polar icecaps melting, sea levels rising, and changing the migration patterns and range
of some species and even during the formation of the Earth’s atmosphere, the volcanic activities of
the planet released trapped gases, and continues to do so.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 Greenhouse Effect is a phenomenon where atmospheric gases prevent heat from being released
back into space.

The primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are:

 Water vapor (H2O)

 Carbon dioxide (CO2)

A natural greenhouse gas, supplied largely by human activities (about 70%). A heavy,
colorless gas. It is the main gas exhaled by aerobic organisms during respiration and
respired by plants during photosynthesis. Current trends show that 𝐶𝑂2 discharges have
been on the rise since the 1800s. Volcanoes release large quantities of trapped 𝐶𝑂2 and
water vapor during eruptions.

 Methane (𝐶𝐻4)

A colorless, odorless, and flammable gas (a hydrocarbon) released during organic decay as
well as in coal formation. Commonly found in oil and coal deposits, it is a by-product of the
production, transportation, and use of natural gas.

 Nitrous oxide (𝑁2𝑂)

A colorless gas which primarily causes smog (a yellow-brown haze) along with other
nitrogen oxides (𝑁𝑂𝑋), which doesn’t break down quickly. Aside from burning fossil fuels,
lightning and soil sources produce these during nitrification.

 Ozone (𝑂3)

The natural layer of trioxygen gas, located nine (9) to 30 miles up in the atmosphere,
protects organic life from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It bonds easily with CFCs and nitrogen
oxides, reducing the supply. It is because ozone is less stable than the oxygen diatom (𝑂2).

 Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs)

A man-made compound, composed only of chlorine, carbon, and fluorine chains that is
designed as refrigerants and as air-conditioning. Also known as Freon, it is phased out as
per the Montreal Protocol.

 Hydrofluorocarbon (including HCFCs and HFCs)

An organic compound, composed of hydrogen and fluorocarbon chains, replaced CFCs as

refrigerants and air-conditioning. Does not harm the ozone layer, but contributes to global
warming. Due to global warming, HFCs are phased out as per the Montreal Protocol.

Substances Released in a Volcanic Eruption

We know that water cycle is the most common cycle, and water vapor is one of the top gases
released by volcanoes.

Through water cycle, an acid rain is produced as it undergoes precipitation (i.e. rain, snow, etc)
TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS
 whose pH levels are lower than the average rainwater pH in nature (i.e. pH 5.0 - 5.6). It is caused
by sulfur dioxide (𝑆𝑂2) and nitrogen oxide compounds (𝑁𝑂𝑋), which comes from:

 Natural emissions from volcanoes

 The burning of fossil fuels
 Electric power plants
 Vehicles
 Heavy equipment
 Manufacturing, refineries, and other related industries

Acid rain is formed in two (2) ways:

 Wet Deposition – deposition in moisture, forming acid rain.

 Dry Deposition – deposition in absence of moisture; may deposit to surfaces (water bodies,
vegetation, buildings) quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form larger
particles that can be harmful to human health.

Acid rain contributes to several harmful effects to living things. Acid rain can leach, or carry away,
nutrients from the soil, and can dissolve sturdy surfaces.

“Can acid rain be monitored?” The answer is yes. Acid rain can be monitored. Aside from
carbon and gas emissions, chemists also measure the pH level of the rain sample to test whether
it is acidic or neutral. It can be measured through environmental pH.

SECTION 2: CARBON CYCLE

The Carbon Cycle

All living things are made of carbon. Carbon is also a part of the ocean, air, and even rocks.
Because the Earth is a dynamic place, carbon does not stay still. It is on the move! In the
atmosphere, carbon is attached to some oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide.

Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and grow. The carbon becomes
part of the plant. Plants that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal
and oil over millions of years. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters
the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other
greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that
there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and
Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores show us that there is now more carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years.

The global movement of carbon between the abiotic environment, including the atmosphere and
ocean, and organisms is known as the carbon cycle.

In the next picture we will see a carbon cycle that happens in our environment. And in this picture
there are five carbon cycles that goes around us.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 Nature’s Carbon Sources

How Do Humans Place Carbon in the Atmosphere?

Humans place carbon into the atmosphere in a variety of ways.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 SECTION 3: NITROGEN CYCLE

“If soil nutrients can be leached, what happens to nitrogen - the element that provides fertilizers,
both natural and chemical, the nutrients that plant needs?” If nitrogen, and its compounds,
combine with rainwater, and with other free gases in the atmosphere readily, this is called the
nitrogen cycle.

Composes about four-fifths (78.03 % by volume of the atmosphere. It is essential part of the amino
acids and is a basic element of life. It is also an important element in plant nutrition. In the form of
protein, it is an important constituent of animal tissue.

The nitrogen cycle has two (5) major steps or processes in nitrogen formation:

 nitrogen fixation
 nitrogen assimilation
 ammonification
 nitrification
 denitrification

Nitrogen Fixation

In this step, nitrogen gas is converted into inorganic nitrogen compounds. It is mostly 90%
accomplished by free-living, nitrogen fixing bacteria. Atmospheric nitrogen is molecular dinitrogen,
a relatively nonreactive molecule that is metabolically useless to all but a few microorganisms. The
reduction of atmospheric nitrogen is a complex process that requires a large input of energy to
proceed.

Nitrogen Assimilation

These are assimilation of nitrates and ammonia resulting from nitrogen fixation into the specific
tissues compounds of algae and higher plants. Animals then ingest these algae and plants,
converting them into their own body compounds. Nitrogen assimilation and recycling in young
leaves mainly takes place within the chloroplast where nitrite reduction occurs and ammonium is
assimilated.

Ammonification

When an organism excretes waste or dies, the nitrogen in its tissues is in the form of organic
nitrogen. Various fungi and prokaryotes then decompose the tissue and release inorganic nitrogen
back into the ecosystem as ammonia in the process known as ammonification. In short, the
remains of all living things – and their waste products – are decomposed by microorganisms which
yields ammonia.

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 Nitrification

A process carried out by nitrifying bacteria, transforms soil ammonia into nitrates, which plants can
incorporate into their own tissues. Ammonia is present in drinking water through either naturally-
occurring processes or through ammonia addition during secondary disinfection to form
chloramines.

Denitrification

The process where nitrates are metabolized by denitrifying bacteria to free nitrogen and returned
to the atmosphere. Dinitrogen gas (N2) is the ultimate end product of denitrification, but other
intermediate gaseous forms of nitrogen exist.

Components of the Nitrogen Cycle

When it comes to nitrogen cycle, there is something that is being added without human
intervention and there is something that should be removed.

For Those that Is Being Added:

1. Volcanic activity
2. Atmosphere
 Gas exchange:
 Henry’s Law Formula: C = α x p
Where: C = equilibrium concentration
α = solubility constant
p = partial pressure of the gas in the atmosphere
 Rain water:
 Rain water contains variable concentration of ammonia and nitrate
 Nitrate is most probably the result of ammonium oxidation
 Nitrate may also result from the oxidation of molecular nitrogen as
follows:

3. Rivers
 Concentrations of NOX in river water varies between 500-3700 μg l -1
 Average for major world rivers = 1000 μg l-1
 River input = 1/3 atmospheric input

For those That Should Be Removed:

1. Loss with sedimented organic matter

2. Loss of molecular nitrogen to the atmosphere

Internal Processes

 These are all the processes leading to the transition between the different forms of nitrogen

SECTION 4: OXYGEN CYCLE

Oxygen is an important element to life on Earth. It is the most common element of the human
body. It makes up about 65 % of the mass of the human body. Most of this is in the form of water
(H₂O). Oxygen also makes up about 30 % of the Earth and 20 % of the atmosphere. Oxygen has
also played a major role in global warming. It is the principal component of water vapor and ozone.
It also shows how the ozone layer is made.

The Importance of Oxygen Cycle

The oxygen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen within its
three main reservoirs: the atmosphere the total content of biological matter within the biosphere
and the lithosphere.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

 The Main Reservoirs

The reservoirs are the locations in which oxygen is found.

 Biosphere (living things)

 Lithosphere (Earth’s crust
 Atmosphere (air)
 Hydrosphere (water)

Photosynthesis

Plants take in carbon dioxide and water and use them to make food. Their food is simple sugar
which is also known as glucose.

Respiration

Respiration is the process that breaks apart simple food molecules to release energy. In this
process, oxygen is abstracted from air, transported to cells for the oxidation of organic molecules
while carbon dioxide and water, the products of oxidation, are returned to the environment. In your
cells, oxygen is used to split glucose apart – releasing energy, water and carbon dioxide.

How Do Plants Contribute?

 The oxygen cycle begins with plants and photosynthesis

 Through photosynthesis, plants convert the energy from the sun and water into
carbohydrates and oxygen

Ozone Layer

Ozone layer refers to a region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation.
It contains high concentrations of ozone (O 3) relative to other parts of the atmosphere. The ozone
layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere.

Ozone Depletion

Ozone depletion describes two phenomena: a steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total
volume of ozone in Earth’s stratosphere, and the ozone hole. CFC’s and other contributory
substances are referred to as ozone-depleting substances. But these CFC’s have been phased-
out by Montreal Protocol.

Ozone Hole and Its Causes

The primary cause of ozone depletion is the presence of chlorine containing source gases
(primarily CFCs and related halocarbons). Most of the ozone that is destroyed is in the lower
stratosphere, in contrast to the much smaller ozone depletion through homogeneous gas phase
reactions, which occurs primarily in the upper stratosphere.

Consequence of Ozone Depletion

 Increased UV
 Effect on human health
 Effects on animals
 Affects crop production

Processes that Use Oxygen

 Breathing – the scientific name for breathing is respiration. And it says that all animals and
plants use up oxygen when they breathe. They breathe out carbon dioxide.
 Decomposing – when plants and animal die, they decompose. This process uses up
oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.
 Rusting – this is also called oxidation. When things rust they use up oxygen.
 Combustion – there are three things needed for fire: oxygen, fuel and heat. When things
burn, they use up oxygen and replace it with carbon dioxide.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

III. Viable and vibrant Activities
Description of the Learning Activities

Participation of students through discussion of Chemistry of the Environment

02 Music Video 1: Paraiso – the students will watch the video before start of proper discussion

02 Quiz 1 – a short quiz will be given to the students after the whole discussion of the module

02 Laboratory Exercise 1: Foamy Soda – the students will do the laboratory exercise individually at home

IV. Opportunity to reflect and articulate students’ acquired knowledge.

Criteria for Evaluation

02 Quiz 1 – IDENTIFICATION: Identify the word/s being asked in each statement. (30 points)

02 Laboratory Exercise 1: Foamy Soda – the students need to perform the laboratory exercise individually

Purpose of Activity:

Students are required to participate in the discussion of Chemistry of the Environment and determine the
effects of pollutants and contaminants to human, the causes of Global Warming, and analyze the Carbon,
Nitrogen and Oxygen Cycles.

02 Music Video 1: PARAISO – the students will watch the video, analyze the lyrics behind it and let the
students share their insights about the current situation in our environment

02 Quiz 1 – a quiz will be given at the end of the lesson to test their understanding of the topics being
discussed and what they have recalled during the discussion

02 Laboratory Exercise 1: Foamy Soda – the students will do the laboratory exercise and analyze how salt
particles are replacing the soda bubbles

Summary and Reflection

After the discussion, the student will write in their learning journal what they have learned in the lesson
being discussed and what they are expecting in the next topic.

V. Textbooks and other References

1. JeremeAsunto (2020). Paraiso-Smokey Mountain.wmv [Video File]. Modified from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Q3q_bPiXnOc
2. Chang, R., & Goldsby, K. A. (2016). Chemistry (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
3. Health Physics Society (n.d.). What is radioactive contamination? Lifted and modified from
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radcontamination.html
4. Types of pollutants (2010). Lifted and modified from http://sarahmanzoor.50webs.com/pollutants.html
5. United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.). What is acid rain? Lifted and modified from
https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what- acid-rain
6. Williams, L. D. (2011). Chemistry DeMYSTiFied (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

TANAUAN CITY COLLEGE NSCI01 / MODULE NUMBER 2 CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS