Global Environmental Chemistry Level 10 (U03756)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : CHE-4-GlobEnC10

A lecture course that describes Earth's chemical evolution, the processes occurring naturally in Earth's global environment, the role of humankind in perturbing these processes on historic, contemporary and future timescales, and simple quantification of the partitioning and movement of chemical components through environmental media. The course comprises individual lecture courses on: Chemical Evolution, Atmospheric Chemistry, Environmental Change, and Environmental Modelling. Either the Level 10 or Level 11 version of this course (as specified in the degree programme tables) is a compulsory requirement for Year 4/5 students on degrees in Chemistry with Environmental Chemistry, but can be taken by Year 4/5 students on any Chemistry degree programme.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Chemistry 3A (CHE-3-A) and Chemistry 3B (CHE-3-B) at a weighted average at or above Grade D at the first attempt, and Chemistry 3P Practical and Transferable Skills (CHE-3-Pract), and Mathematics qualifications of at least 20 credits to level Applicable Mathematics 1 and Mathematical Methods 1; or with the permission of Head of School.

? Prohibited combinations : Global Environmental Chemistry Level 11 (CHE-4-GlobEnC11).

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Chemistry, (School of Chemistry, Schedule L)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
08/01/2008	12:10	13:00	Lecture Theatre 100, Joseph Black Building	KB

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	12:10	13:00	KB
Lecture	Wednesday	12:10	13:00	KB
Lecture	Friday	12:10	13:00	KB

? Additional Class Information : 30 hours lectures + 6 hours tutorials, at times arranged.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course students will be able to:
- critically discuss competing theories for the formation, organisation and replication of biologically important molecules in Earth's prebiotic environment
- describe the evolution of Earth's atmosphere in comparison with other selected planetary bodies
- account qualitatively, and quantitatively, for the physical and chemical structure and processes in Earth's atmosphere and to apply this knowledge to rationalise issues of current atmospheric concern (for example stratospheric ozone depletion and urban air pollution)
- describe and explain environmental isotopic fractionation and to demonstrate the usefulness of environmental isotopic records
- demonstrate how historical perspectives of environmental change can be established through investigation of the chemical record in materials such as tree rings, ice masses, ocean and lake sediments, and peat bogs
- to integrate environmentally meaningful laboratory data (e.g. octanol-water partition coefficients) into a quantitative treatment of the partitioning, reactions and interphase transfer of environmental contaminants (including, e.g., bioconcentration).