CIEG 833: Fate of Organic Pollutants in the Environment (3 credits)
OBJECTIVE:
To understand and predict
the partitioning, speciation, and transformation
of organic contaminants in environmental systems. At the end of
the
semester, students are expected to apply the
concepts and models learned to predict properties and environmental
behavior
of organic chemicals based on their molecular structures.
FORMAT:
This course is mostly lecture-based, but will also
include
mini-discussion sessions. Because of the large amount of
materials to cover, students are expected
to complete
the assigned readings before coming to class. Each week we
will discuss a specific physical-chemical property or fate process of
organic chemicals, with special emphasis
on the underlying principles involved.
PREREQUISITES:
CIEG632, CIEG634, CIEG636, and preferably one
semester
each of organic chemistry and physical chemistry (thermodynamics and
kinetics).
TIME / PLACE:
Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00 - 3:15 p.m., DuPont 350.
INSTRUCTOR:
Pei Chiu,
344B DuPont Hall, 831-3104, pei@udel.edu.
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. You can
also make appointments with me by phone or email, or simply stop by my
office.
TEXTBOOK:
"Environmental Organic Chemistry" 2nd Ed.*,
Schwarzenbach,
R. P., Gschwend, P. M., and Imboden, D. M., Wiley, 2002.
*Using the first edition is discouraged. The
second edition contains a significant amount of
new materials and updated information, much of which will be covered.
REFERENCES:
(1) Larson, R. A. & Weber, E. J. "Reaction
Mechanisms
in Environmental Organic Chemistry", Lewis, 1994.
(2) Brezonik, P. L. "Chemical Kinetics and Process
Dynamics
in Aquatic Systems", Lewis, 1994.
REQUIREMENTS: (200 points total)
1. Mid-Term Exam (60 points)
A mid-term exam will be held in class in late
October and
will cover all the materials discussed in Parts I and II of the
text.
The exact time and location of the exam will be announced later.
2. Final Exam (80 points)
The time and location of final exam will be
as scheduled by the University. The exam will be cumulative (i.e., will cover all three
Parts), although Part III (transformation) will carry
more weight than Parts I and II.
3. Critical Review (60 points)
You will critically review one assigned research paper on either organic chemical partitioning or transformation. Your review is expected to be not merely a summary of the paper but rather a critical analysis of the study, including the rationale for the research, the hypothesis(es) the author(s) set out to test, the experimental or modeling approach used, the quality of the data and data analysis, the validity of the conclusions, and the significance and implications of the findings. It may be helpful to think about these questions: Would you have taken a different approach and why/how? Would you analyze or interpret the data differently? Is there an alternative or competing theory out there and, if so, do the results support the author's theory satisfactorily and convincingly? You should take care to distinguish logical interpretation of research results from conjectures and speculations.
Your critical reviews should be between 10 and 15
pages,
excluding cover page, references, and appendix. The cover page
shall include
the title of the paper, course number, your name, and all the other
basic
information.
Use 12-point Times or Times New Roman font, double space, and 1-inch
margins
for all sides. Number all pages except the cover page. Use
the
Author-and-Year
style for references (for example, see Applied
and
Environmental Microbiology). Include citations
wherever necessary, unless it is
your
own original contribution. The critical review is
due on Thursday, December 3rd, by
2:00
p.m. (Late Policy applies; see below).
Note — and this is important — that although most of
you have written papers and reports before, I still strongly encourage
you to review the Academic
Dishonesty section of the Code of Conduct before you start writing.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is not mandatory, and no points will be
deducted
due to absence. However, absence is not an acceptable reason for
missing assignment deadline or exams.
LATE POLICY:
A late assignment (critical review) will lose 10 points
per
day and will not be accepted or graded after one week.
GRADING: Total number of points = 200. You will need 120 points to pass.
If the total number of points you earn is greater
than
or equal to
170 points, you will receive an A
160 points, you will receive an A-
150 points, you will receive a B+
140 points, you will receive a B
130 points, you will receive a B-
120 points, you will receive a C
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE and READING ASSIGNMENTS (to be completed BEFORE class):
1. Scope, objectives, and
house-keeping
details.
Overview of organic chemicals in environments. Review of basic
concepts in organic
chemistry.
Reading Assignment: Chapters 1 and 2.
2. Principles of organic
partitioning:
Molecular
interactions and thermodynamics.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 3.
3. Vapor pressures,
activity
coefficients,
and water solubility of organic compounds.
Reading Assignment: Chapters 4 and 5.
4. Partitioning:
air—water,
air—organic
solvent, and organic solvent—water.
Reading Assignment: Chapters 6 and 7.
5. Organic acids and
bases.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 8.
6. Sorption
of
organic solutes to
natural
organic matter.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 9.
7. Partitioning
of
organic solutes into living organisms.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 10.
8. Sorption of
nitroaromatics to inorganic surfaces.
Reading Assignment: Section 11.3.
9. Thermodynamics
and kinetics of
transformation.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 12.
10. Non-redox reactions:
nucleophilic
substitution
and elimination.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 13.
11. Abiotic oxidation-reduction
(redox)
reactions.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 14.
12. Microbial and enzymatic
tranformation.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 17.
13. Direct photolysis.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 15.
14. Indirect
photolysis.
Reading Assignment: Chapter 16.
15. Review and Q/A.
Concluding
remarks
and
feedback. Course evaluation.