Matter and the Environment

Chapter 3-1: Matter and the Environment

Multiple Choice

True or False? Humans affect the environment but the environment does NOT affect us.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Which of the following are categories of natural resources? (Select all that Apply)

• Non-renewable

• Renewable

• Plant-based

• Liquid

• Non-terrestrial

Multiple Choice

Which field is objective and based on data?

• Environmental Science

• Environmentalism

• Both Environmentalism and Environmental Science

• Neither Environmentalism nor Environmental science

Multiple Choice

What major entity of the U.S. government has the chief responsibility for overseeing environmental regulations?

• Environmental Impact Statement

• Environmental Protection Agency

• National Park Service

• Supreme Court

Introduction

• Most environmental issues have chemistry at their core

  • Gases such as CO_2, Water Pollution, how different chemicals interact under different situations

• Chemistry is central to understanding many environmental problems and solutions

  • Some reactions have positive effects and break down harmful products

    • bioremediation: Using organisms that consume or neutralize harmful chemicals to clean pollution

      • Mainly relies on bacteria and fungi

The Building Blocks of Chemistry

• All Material in the universe that has mass and occupies space is called matter

• Made up of atoms/elements that cannot be broken down into substances with other properties

• Atoms have two parts

  • A nucleus made up of protons and neutrons

    • Protons have a positive charge

    • The number of protons tells you what atom you are looking at

  • A cloud of electrons surrounding the nucleus

    • Electrons have a negative charge

The Building Blocks of Chemistry

• In nature, there are 94 elements

  • More can be created in a lab

• The most abundant elements in living things are

  • carbon

  • nitrogen

  • hydrogen

  • oxygen

Bonding

• Bonding is the combination of atoms into a more complex substance

  • Occurs due to an attraction between the electrons of atoms

  • Different types of bonds create different types of Compounds

    • Ionic Bonds: One atom takes the electron of another atom

    • Covalent Bonding: atoms come together and share electrons to form a molecule

      • If one atom pulls more than another, the bond is Polar because one side is stronger

Molecules and Compounds

• Molecules are two or more atoms bonded together

  • Can be two of the same atom (H₂, O_2, etc.)

• Compounds are substances made up of two or more different atoms

Multiple Choice

What is the basic unit of matter?

• Compounds

• Solutions

• Atoms

• Macromolecules

Multiple Choice

True or False: A Compound is a chemical substance with a given set of properties that cannot be broken down into substances with other properties.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What process uses microorganisms to consume or neutralize pollutants?

• Recycling

• Bioconsumption

• Bioremediation

• Bioneutralization

Organic and Inorganic Compounds

• Organic compounds: compounds that contain carbon atoms held together by covalent bonds

  • Living things are made of organic compounds and produce organic compounds

  • Carbon has a unique structure that allows it to build millions of different molecules

• Inorganic compounds: compounds that lack carbon

Hydrocarbons

• Hydrocarbons: molecules that only contain hydrogen and carbon

  • many are products of burnings and hazardous and cause cancer

    • polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): can evaporate from oil and gasoline and mix with water

      • Are harmful to marine life

  • Are found in Crude Oil and petroleum products

Mixtures & Solutions

• A mixture is a combination of elements, molecules, or compounds that are not bonded chemically.

• Solutions are mixtures in which all ingredients are equally distributed and can not be clearly separated

  • Can be solids, liquids, or gases.

  • The atmosphere is a solution of many types of gases

Multiple Select

Select all the substances that always contain carbon.

• Organic Molecules

• Hydrocarbons

• Inorganic Molecules

• Solutions

Dropdown

Hydrocarbons contain only carbon and​

Select answer

Multiple Choice

Which element has a unique structure that allows it to make millions of different molecules necessary for life?

• Hydrogen

• Oxygen

• Carbon

• Nitrogen

• Helium

Polymers

• Polymers: long chains of repeated molecules

  • can be both natural or synthetic

    • Rubber, nylon, epoxy

  • Three polymers are essential to life

    • Proteins

    • Nucleic Acids

    • Carbohydrates

Macromolecules

• Macromolecules: Large Molecules essential to life

  • Proteins,

  • Nucleic Acids,

  • Carbohydrates

  • Lipids

Proteins

• Polymers that serve many functions in organisms

• Organic compounds are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur

• help produce tissues, provide support, act as hormones, are enzymes

  • Hormones: Chemical messengers within an organism

  • Enzymes: molecules that speed up chemical reactions

Nucleic Acids

• Macromolecules that direct protein production

  • DNA: carries genetic information

    • Double Stranded

  • RNA: copies of DNA segments that make proteins

    • Single Stranded

• Long chains of nucleotides

  • have a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

Carbohydrates

• Polymers that consits of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

  • Has a base formula of C_xH_2xO_x

  • Example: Glucose

• Used as and energy source for living organisms

• can form support structures that support the bodies of organisms

Lipids

• A chemically diverse group of macromolecules that do not dissolve in water

  • Made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes phosphorous

• Can store energy

• Makeup cell membranes

• Make up biological structures

Multiple Select

Select all the macromolecules

• Lipids

• Polymers

• Carbohydrates

• Nucleic Acids

• Proteins

Match

Match the following macromolecules to their descriptions

• Lipids

• Carbohydrates

• Nucleic Acids

• Proteins

Do not Dissolve in water, store energy

Used as an energy source for organisms

Direct Protein Production

Help produce tissues and provide support

• Do not Dissolve in water, store energy

• Used as an energy source for organisms

• Direct Protein Production

• Help produce tissues and provide support

Water

• Every organism relies on water for life

• Made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom

  • Oxygen pulls on electrons and makes it a polar molecule

• Water molecules experience hydrogen bonding, and are slightly attracted to one another

• Unique properties important to supporting life and stabilizing the climate

  • cohesion

  • Resistance to temperature change

  • Ice Density

  • Universal slovent

Cohesion

• The ability of water to stick to itself

  • caused by Hydrogen Bonding

• Allows for transport of materials in plants and animals

• Gives water Surface Tension

Resistance to Temperature Change

• Hydrogen bonds allow water to absorb more energy before breaking the molecule

  • Energy = heat

• It takes a large amount of heat to change the temperature of the water

Ice Density

• Ice is less dense than water

  • opposite of most compounds that become denser as they freeze

• As ice floats, it insulates the body of water underneath and prevents it from freezing

Universal Solvent

• Water molecules bond with other polar molecules

• Allow it to dissolve many other molecules that are essential for life

Acids, Bases, & pH

• In water solutions, some molecules separate into charged atoms called ions

  • Hydrogen Ion: H⁺

  • Hydroxide Ion: OH^-

• The amount of each ion in a solution can determine the acidity of the water

  • more hydrogen ions=acidic

  • more hydroxide ions= basic

  • Equal amounts of both ions=neutral

• pH is measured on a scale of 1-14

  • 1-6 is acidic

  • 7 is neutral

  • 8-14 is basic

Multiple Choice

This property of water is why people prefer living near large bodies of water in extreme temperatures.

• Cohesion

• Universal Solvent

• Ice Density

• Resistance to Temperature Change

Open Ended

A student says that biology is more important than chemistry for understanding Environmental Science. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer in a paragraph.