Environmental Chemistry An Analytical Approach [Hardcover]

• Provides a review of general chemistry nestled in the story of the Big Bang and the formation of the Earth
• Includes a primer on measurement statistics and quantitative methods to equip students to make measurements in lab
• Encapsulates environmental chemistry in three chapters on the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere
• Describes many instruments and methods used to make common environmental measurements

Preface xiii

About the Companion Website xv

Introduction xvii

1 Origins: A Chemical History of the Earth from the Big Bang Until Now – 13.8 Billion Years of Review 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 The Big Bang 1

1.2.1 The Microwave Background 1

1.2.2 Stars and Elements 4

1.2.3 Primordial Nucleosynthesis 5

1.2.4 Nucleosynthesis in Massive Stars 5

1.2.5 Nucleosynthesis Summary 7

1.3 Solar Nebular Model: The Birth of Our Solar System 8

1.3.1 The Ages of the Earth 9

1.4 Life Emerges 16

1.4.1 Biomolecules 16

1.4.2 Macromolecules 17

1.4.3 Self-Replication 19

1.4.4 Molecular Evolution 21

1.5 Review Material 22

1.6 Important Terms 48

Exercises 49

Bibliography 51

2 Measurements and Statistics 53

2.1 Introduction 53

2.2 Measurements 54

2.2.1 Random Noise 54

2.2.2 Significant Figures (Sig Figs) 58lÃ+