2nd Edition

Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry

By Des W. Connell Copyright 2005
    480 Pages 167 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition provides a theoretical basis for the behavior and biological effects of natural chemical entities and contaminants in natural systems, concluding with a practical focus on risk assessment and the environmental management of chemicals.

    The text uses molecular properties such as polarity, water solubility, and vapor pressure as the starting point for understanding the environmental chemistry of various contaminants in soil, water, and the atmosphere. It explains biological processes such as respiration and photosynthesis and their relationship to greenhouse gases. The book then introduces environmental toxicology and describes the distribution, transport, and transformation of contaminants, including PCBs and dioxins, plastics, petroleum and aromatic hydrocarbons, soaps and detergents, and pesticides. The author highlights the relationship between specific chemical properties and their environmental and biological effects. Other topics discussed include partition behavior, fugacity, and genotoxicity, particularly involving carcinogens.

    The second edition updates the contents and incorporates the latest advances in the field since the 1997 edition was published. It presents an entirely new chapter on metals, which underlines the correlation between metallic properties and their behavior in the environment, as well as new sections on radionuclides and acid drainage water. The chapter on atmospheric chemistry and pollution has been substantially expanded including photochemical smog, the Greenhouse Effect, and pollution processes in the atmosphere and acid rain. The author also adds recent approaches to ecotoxicology, ecological, and human risk assessments to include the probabilistic approach.

    Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition is a practical textbook for teaching students the basic concepts of chemistry in the framework of the environment and a practical reference for anyone involved in the management and disposal of industrial chemicals and emissions, occupational health and safety, and the protection of the natural environment.

    PREFACE
    PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
    The Role and Importance of Environmental Chemistry
    BASIC PROPERTIES OF CHEMICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
    Bonds and Molecules: Their Influence on Physical-Chemical Properties in the Environment
    Environmental Transformation and Degradation Processes
    Environmental Toxicology
    CONTAMINANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
    Petroleum Hydrocarbons
    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Dioxins
    Synthetic Polymers: Plastics, Elastomers and Synthetic Fibers
    Pesticides
    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    Soaps and Detergents
    Metals in the Environment
    PROCESSES IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
    Atmospheric Chemistry and Pollution
    Chemistry of Natural Waters and Water Pollution
    Soil Contamination
    Distribution of Chemicals in the Environment
    Genotoxicity: The Action of Environmental Chemicals on Genetic Material
    MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
    Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment
    Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment Due to Exposure to Chemicals

    Biography

    Des W. Connell (Griffith University, Queensland, Australia)

    “...  is designed as a textbook for course in environmental chemistry. The objective of this fully revised edition is to provide knowledge of environmental chemistry based on a series of theoretical principles … It aims to give students not just knowledge of environmental chemistry but understanding of how and why processes in the environment occur. … This is a practical textbook for teaching students the basic concepts of chemistry in the framework of the environment and a practical reference for anyone involved in the management and disposal of industrial chemicals and emissions, occupational health and safety, and the protection of the natural environment.”
    — J Albaigés, Editor in Chief, Department of Environment Chemistry CID-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain, in International Journal Of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 86, 2006
    “This is a book which has much to offer, not only to those directly concerned with environmental matters, but also as a general text which clearly demonstrates the application of both organic and physical chemistry to real-life situations.”
    Chromatographia, Dec. 2005