UNIT TWO: Environmental Chemistry

 Living things on earth have evolved to use water and the gases of the atmosphere in the chemical reactions that sustain them. Water is used by both plants and animals to to carry out their energy-producing reactions, dissolve their nutrients and transport their wastes. The atmosphere supplies life-giving gases, provides temperature that sustains life, and gives protection from harmful radiation. Appropriate chemical concepts are introduced and students are encouraged to evaluate the environmental impact of human activity on the biosphere. All areas of study in this Unit involve the design and performance of experiments, including the generation, collection and evaluation of experimental data.

 Areas of study

• Water
• The Atmosphere

What do I need to know? 

Refer to the course description that need to be met, as listed below (on this page). This information is provided by the VCAA in the Course guidelines, and gives you a clear indication of what you will be learning in this Unit. For assessment purposes, you should refer to the outcomes link, which gives a formal statement of key knowledge and skills that the student should have acquired by the completion of the Unit. Most of these outcome statements apply across a whole semester of work, and as such are useful for exam preparation.

Practice tests / Revision sheets

At this link you will find practice tests on     Gases of the atmsophere     

I have also included a chapter of a year 12 book that I wrote some years ago. This Chapter also has a number of problems associated with the work that you may wish to consider for extra practice. The solutions to these questions are also available from me upon request.

Ch 2 Chemical reactions and stoichiometry

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ASSESSMENT: Units One and Two

The award of satisfactory completion for each Unit is based on a decision that the student has demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the Unit. This decision will be based on the teacher’s assessment of the student’s overall performance on assessment tasks designated for the Unit. Such assessment tasks must include:

• an extended experimental investigation requiring between three and five hours practical work OR
• a summary report including annotations on three practical activites AND
• a response to stimulus material in written, oral, visual or multimedia format
• an analysis of first or second-hand data using structured questions (a test)
• a response to stimulus material related to green chemistry in written, oral, visual or multimedia format
• topic tests and a 90 minute end of Unit examination (internally assessed).

 Students will be graded from A⁺ to E and as S or N. The VCAA will only be notified as to whether or not the student has satisfactorily completed the Unit. All students must normally satisfactorily complete both Units 1 and 2 if they wish to proceed to Units 3 and 4 Chemistry.

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Course description

Area of Study 2: The Atmosphere

Outcome 2: Key knowledge

On completion of this Unit students should be able to explain how chemical reactions and processes occurring in the atmosphere help to sustain life on earth

To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate knowledge of:

·     role of the atmosphere in maintaining life in the environment

• effects of human activities, such as agriculture, industry, transport, energy production, on the atmosphere
• chemical reactions and processes of acid rain
• qualitative effects of ozone depletion and photochemical smog
• role of the carbon and nitrogen cycles in maintaining life on earth
• the laboratory and industrial production of one gas of significance to the quality of the atmosphere

·        the major contributing gases to the enhanced Greenhouse effect and at least one of the associated local, state, national or international protocols

·        kinetic molecular theory; diffusion of gases, distribution of molecular kinetic energies of molecules in a gas as temperature varies

·      Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, general gas equation, partial pressure (pressure units: mm Hg, Pa, atmospheres; volume units: L, dm³, m³; temperature: Celcius and Kelvin scales; molar volume at STP and SLC

·       simple volume/volume and mass/volume stoichiometry for gases.

Outcome 2: Key skills

To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate the ability to:

·       use the kinetic molecular theory to explain and predict the behaviour of gases;

·       perform calculations using Boyle's Law, Charles' Law and the general gas equation,

·        interpret graphical descriptions of gas behaviour;

·        prepare, collect and test the properties of gases;

·       relate the distribution of molecular kinetic energies of molecules in a gas to the temperature of the gas;

·        establish and observe safe laboratory work practices

·        prepare clear, concise reports of laboratory work

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