30261 - Atmospheric Chemistry

Learning outcomes

students will achieve basic knowledge about the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its reactivity in association with the following issues:

- biogeochemical cycles that affect the global atmospheric composition and factors affecting compositional evolution in time and space (interactions between the atmosphere-hydrosphere-geosphere-biosphere and ANTHROPOSPHERE)

- awareness of the chemical processes occurring naturally in the atmosphere undisturbed by man,

- understanding of the chemical processes responsible for the contemporary environmental problems (background conditions - atmospheric pollution - interference conditions) as well as the basic chemistry of climate change .

 

Course contents

environmental interconnections - earth as biogeochemical reactor - atmosphere to other environmental compartments  - physical chemistry of the molecule of water and its environmental roles - atmospheric composition and its recent evolution
atmospheric composition in anthropized and background environments - time series of concentrations of atmospheric gases - box model atmosphere and residence time - concentration relationship and residence time
greenhouse gases (H2O, CO2, CH4, O3, CFCs and HCFCs, N2O) – association between molecular structure and greenhous/IR interaction - IR spectra in the atmosphere - planetary energy balance - GHG periodicity and recent trends - IPCC radiative forcing - oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere: ozone, OH radical, O2 - NOx production in the atmosphere by combustion, catalytic converters, VOC's, HOx, oxidation of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons and CO by OH radical
Daytime and nighttime chemistry in the atmosphere - atmospheric aerosol - primary and secondary aerosol - size classification, chemical and morphological - the relationship between size / composition and formation processes - standard metrics - sampling - methods of analysis and characterization

Readings/Bibliography

PDF version of power point lessons

recent review papers from current literature

C. Baird, M. Cann; Chimica ambientale, Zanichelli (ed. 2006)

Peter V. Hobbs . Introduction to atmospheric chemistry:. Cambridge University Press, 2000

John H. Seinfeld and Spyros N. Pandis Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change , Wiley-Interscience ( Paperback - Aug 11, 2006) 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons

Assessment methods

Oral examination

Teaching tools

power point presentations

Office hours

See the website of Laura Tositti