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UNIT 14 ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

1. Define Environmental Pollution.

 Environmental pollution is the effect of undesirable changes in our surroundings that
have harmful effects in plants, animals and human beings.
2. What are pollutants? How are they produced?
 A substance which causes pollution is known as pollutants.
 Pollutants can be solid, liquid or gaseous substances present in greater concentration
and are produced due to human activities or due to natural happenings.
3. What is a primary pollutant?
 A primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source.
 Primary pollutants are those which are present in the environment as such after their
formations.
 Eg:- CO, NO, and SO2.
4. What is a secondary pollutant?
 A secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other primary
pollutants react in the atmosphere.
 Eg:- Ozone, NO2, SO3, Peroxy Acyl Nitrates (PAN).
5. Briefly explain tropospheric pollution.
 Troposphere extends up to a height of about 10 km from sea level.
 Tropospheric pollution occurs due to the presence of undesirable solid or gaseous
particles in the air.
1. Gaseous Pollutants
 These are oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon, hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons,
ozone and other oxidants.
 They cause asthma, bronchitis and can lead to acute respiratory diseases.
2. Particulate Pollutants
 These are dust, moist fumes, smoke, smog etc.
 These are present in vehicle emissions, smoke particles from fires, dust particles and
ash from industries.
 These are dust, moist fumes, smoke, smog etc.
6. What are viable pollutants?
 The viable particulates are minute living organisms that are dispersed in the
atmosphere.
 E.g., Bacteria, Fungi, Moulds, Algae etc.
7. What are non-viable pollutants?
Non-viable particulates may be classified according to their nature and size as
follows.

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 (a) Smoke particulates consist of solid or mixture of solid and liquid particles formed
during combustion of organic matter.
 E.g. Cigarette smoke, smoke from burning of fossil fuel, garbage and dry leaves, oil
smoke etc.
 (b) Dust is composed of fine solid particles produced during crushing, grinding and
attribution of solid materials.
 E.g. Sand from sand blasting, saw dust from wood works, pulverized coal, cement
and fly ash from factories, dust storms etc.
 (c) Mists are produced by particles of spray liquids and by condensation of vapours in
air.
 E.g. Sulphuric Acid mist, Herbicides, Insecticides etc.
 (d) Fumes are obtained by the condensation of vapours during sublimation,
distillation, boiling and several other chemical reactions.
 E.g. Organic solvents, metals and metallic oxides form fume particles.
8. What are the harmful effects of Nitrogen and its compounds?
 The irritant red haze in the traffic and congested places is due to oxides of nitrogen.
 Higher concentrations of NO2 damage the leaves of plants and retard the rate of
photosynthesis.
 Nitrogen dioxide is a lung irritant that can lead to an acute respiratory disease in
children.
 It is toxic to living tissues also.
 Nitrogen dioxide is also harmful to various textile fibres and metals.
9. Carbon monoxide gas is more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Why?
 Carbon monoxide when inhaled reacts with haemoglobin to form the complex
carboxy haemoglobin.
 Therefore, haemoglobin cannot carry oxygen to the various parts of the body.
 On the other hand, the presence of carbon dioxide can lead only to green house
effect causing global warming.
10. What is acid rain?
 Normally rain water has a pH of 5.6.
 It is due to the presence of H+ ions formed by the reaction of rain water with CO2
present in the atmosphere.

H2O + CO2  H2CO3



H CO  H+ + HCO -

2 3 3
 When the pH of the rain water drops below 5.6, it is called acid rain.
 The oxides of nitrogen (NO2) and sulphur (SO2) present in the atmosphere after
oxidation and reaction with water forms sulphuric acid and nitric acid.
 These acids contribute to acid rain.

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2SO2 + O2 + 2H2O 
 2H2SO4

4NO2 + O2 + 2H2O 
 4HNO3
11. Statues and monuments in India are affected by acid rain. How?
 The statues and monuments are mainly made from marble which is chemically
CaCO3.
 Acid rain contains H2SO4 dissolved in it.
 When it comes in contact with the various statues or monuments, the acid reacts
with CaCO3.

CaCO3 + H2SO4 
 CaSO4 + H2O + CO2
12. What are the harmful effects of acid rain?
 It causes excessive damages to the buildings and monuments.
 It also damages Iron and Steel structures.
 It damages leaves of trees and plants and retards the growth of forests.
 It increases the acidity of water in the lakes which is fatal to fishes.
13. What is global warming?
 About 75% of the solar energy reaching the earth is absorbed by the earth’s surface.
 It increases the temperature of earth.
 The rest of the heat radiates back to the atmosphere.
 Some of the heat is trapped by gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, CFC
and water vapour in the atmosphere.
 Thus, the atmosphere is heated up.
 This is called global warming.
14. What are the consequences of global warming?
 There will be climatic changes.
 Rise in the sea level due to increased rate of melting of glaciers.
 This will lead to more floods which will cause more damages to soil and plants.
 Increase infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and sleeping
sickness.
15. What is greenhouse effect?
 The gases like CO2, CH4, O3, CFC, water vapours and oxides of nitrogen present in
the atmosphere form a thick cover around the earth.
 The earth receives a large quantity of heat energy coming from the sun.
 Sunlight consists of UV radiations, visible light and IR radiations.
 The IR radiations are not absorbed by atmospheric gases.
 The earth absorbs these IR radiations of short wavelength.
 As a result, temperature of the earth increases.
 The earth emits IR radiations of longer wave lengths.
 These IR radiations are absorbed by the thick cover of gases.

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 Due to this, excessive heating of the earth’s atmosphere occurs and the temperature
increases.
 As more and more IR radiations are trapped, the atmosphere becomes hotter and
hotter and the temperature increases.
 This is called greenhouse effect.
16. Which gases are responsible for green house effect? Name them.
 Carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons and water vapours.
10. What is smog? How are classical and photochemical smog different?
 Smog is a combination of smoke and fog.
 Smog is classified into two types.
 They are classical smog and photochemical smog.

No. Classical Smog Photochemical Smog

It is formed due to the presence of
It is formed due to the photochemical
1 SO2 and humidity in air which
reactions taking place when air contains
combines to form H2SO4 which
NO2 and hydrocarbons.
deposits over particulates.
2 It involves smoke and fog It does not involve smoke and fog
3 It is reducing in character It is oxidizing in character
4 First observed in London in 1952 First observed in Los Angeles in 1950

5 It occurs in warm, dry and sunny

It occurs in cool and humid climate
climates
6 It causes bronchitis, irritations, It causes irritation in the eyes and
problems in the lungs etc. respiratory problems.

11. What do you understand by ozone hole? What are its consequences?
 Ozone hole implies destruction of the ozone layer by the harmful UV radiations.
 The depletion will virtually result in creating some sort of holes in the blanket of
ozone which surrounds us.
 As a result, the harmful radiations of sun will cause skin cancer, loss of sight and
will also affect our immune system.
12. What are the reactions involved for ozone layer depletion in stratosphere?
 Chlorofluorocarbons such as freons present in the stratosphere are involved in the
chemical reaction with ozone.
 These are of free radical nature and carried in the presence of UV radiations.
CF2Cl2 + hυ CF2Cl + Cl
Cl + O3 ClO + O2
ClO + O Cl + O2
 Since ozone takes part in the chemical reaction, there is depletion of ozone layer.
13. What are the harmful effects of ozone layer depletion?
 More UV radiation filters into troposphere.
 UV radiations lead to ageing of skin, cataract, sunburn, skin cancer, killing of many
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phytoplanktons, damage to fish productivity etc.

 Plant proteins get easily affected by UV radiations which leads to the harmful
mutation of cells.
 It also increases evaporation of surface water through the stomata of the leaves.
 It decreases the moisture content of the soil.
 Increase in UV radiations damage paints and fibres, causing them to fade faster.
14. How can we control Photochemical Smog?
 By controlling the primary precursors of photochemical smog, such as NO 2 and
Hydrocarbons.
 By controlling the secondary precursors such as ozone and PAN.
 Catalytic converters should be used in the automobiles, which prevent the release
of nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons to the atmosphere.
 Certain plants like Pinus can metabolise nitrogen oxide and therefore, their
plantation could reduce Photochemical Smog.
15.What is water pollution? What are the major causes of water pollution?
 Water pollution may be defined as any change in physical, chemical and biological
properties of natural water.
 It is due to the contamination of water with any foreign substance.
 The major water pollutant and their sources are
Sl. No. Pollutant Source
1 Microorganisms Domestic sewage
Domestic sewage, animal wastes, discharge from food
2 Organic wastes
processing plants, decaying animals and plants etc.
3 Plant nutrients Chemical fertilizers
4 Pesticides Chemicals used for killing insects, fungi and weeds
Toxic heavy
5 Industries and chemical fertilizers
metals
6 Sediments Erosion of soil by agriculture

16. What do you understand by Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical
Oxygen Demand (COD)?
 Biochemical Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen in milligrams dissolved in
water needed by microorganisms to breakdown the organic matter present in one litre
of water for five days at 20οC.
 Chemical Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen in milligrams dissolved in
water needed by microorganisms for the oxidation of all the compounds both organic
and inorganic compounds dissolved in one litre of water for five days at 20 οC.
17. What is soil pollution?
 Any factor which deteriorates the quality, texture and mineral content of the soil or

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which disturbs the biological balance of the organisms in the soil is called a soil
pollutant.
 If these pollutants are introduced into the soil, the soil is polluted.
18. What measures will you adopt to control soil pollution?
 By applying biofertilizers and manures
 Biological pest control methods may be used.
 By using proper sewage system.
 By recycling waste products.
19. Name four soil pollutants.
 Industrial wastes
 Urban wastes
 Agricultural pollutants
 Radioactive pollutants
20. What is Eutrophication?
 It is the addition of phosphorous to water in the form of phosphate ions which
encourages the formation of algae.
 This algal growth reduces the oxygen concentration in water and results in
subsequent loss of biodiversity.
21. What are pesticides? Give examples.
 Pesticides are substances which are used to kill or block the reproductive processes
of unwanted organisms.
 Eg:- DDT, BHC etc.
 Pesticides may be put into three main categories.
a) Insecticides
 These are chemical substances which protect the crops from certain insects.
 Also they destroy the bacteria causing malaria and yellow fever.
 Eg:- DDT, BHC etc.
b) Herbicides
 These are chemical substances which are used to kill weeds.
 Eg: - Sodium chlorate, sodium arsenite, triazines etc.
c) Fungicides
 These are chemical substances which are used to destroy fungi.
 Eg: - compounds of mercury
22. Name five methods of waste management.
 Recycling
 Burning
 Incineration
 Sewage treatment
 Dumping

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23. How can lead poisoning be cured?

 Feed the patient with an aqueous solution of calcium complex of EDTA.

Ca-EDTA + Pb2+ 
 Ca2+ + Pb -EDTA
 The soluble Pb─EDTA chelate is excreted through urine.
24. What is humification?
 The decomposition of organic materials such as leaves, roots etc in the soil by
microorganisms to produce humus are called humification.
25. What is green chemistry?
 Green chemistry is a way of thinking and is about utilising the existing knowledge
and principles of chemistry and other sciences to reduce the adverse impact on
environment.
 It is a production process that would bring about minimum pollution or deterioration
to the environment.
 It is a cost effective approach which involves reduction in material, energy
consumption and waste generation.
26. International Standards for Drinking Water
Fluoride
 The deficiency of fluoride in drinking water is harmful to man.
 It causes tooth decay.
 The fluoride ion makes the enamel on teeth much harder.
 Fluoride converts hydroxyapatite, the enamel on the surface of the teeth, into much
harder fluorapatite.
 Fluoride ion concentration above 2ppm causes brown mottling of teeth.
 Excess fluoride causes harmful effect to bones and teeth.
Lead
 Lead can damage kidney, liver, reproductive system etc.
Sulphate
 Excessive sulphate in drinking water causes laxative effect.
 At moderate levels it is harmless.
Nitrate
 The maximum limit of nitrate in drinking water is 50 ppm.
 Excess nitrate in drinking water can cause disease such as methemoglobinemia
(Blue Baby Syndrome).
27.Give the expansions of the following abbreviations
 DDT-Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloro Ethane
 BHC- Benzene Hexa Chloride
 PCB- Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls
 EDTA-Ethylene Diammine Tetra Acetic Acid
 BOD-Biochemical Oxygen Demand

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 COD-Chemical Oxygen Demand

 PAN-Poly Acrylo Nitrile
 PAN-Peroxy Acetyl Nitrate
 CFC-Chloro Fluoro Carbon
 SBM-U : Swachh Bharat Mission Urban
 SBM-G : Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin
 DO : Dissolved Oxygen
NOTE
TAJ TRAPEZIUM
 An area that includes the towns of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura and Bharatpur.

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