What are the major causes of water pollution? Explain.
Water pollution arises as a result of several human activities, which leads to the presence of several undesirable substances in water. Major water pollutants with their sources have been tabulated as follows:
Pollutant | Source |
Radioactive substances | Mining of uranium-containing minerals |
Heat | Water used for cooling in industries |
Plant nutrients
|
Chemical fertilizers |
Toxic heavy metals | Chemical factories and industries |
Sediments | Strip mining and soil erosion |
Pesticides | Chemicals used for killing fungi, weed, insects |
Micro-organisms |
Domestic sewage |
Organic wastes | Domestic sewage, decaying animals and plants, animal excreta and waste, discharge from food processing industries |
Roles played by major pollutants are:
1. Pathogens: These water pollutants include bacteria and other organisms. They enter water from animal excreta and domestic sewage. Bacteria present in human excreta (for example, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis) cause gastrointestinal diseases.
2. Organic wastes: These are biodegradable wastes that pollute water as a result of run off. The presence of excess organic wastes in water decreases the amount of oxygen held by water. This decrease in the amount of dissolved oxygen inhibits aquatic life.
3. Chemical pollutants: These are water soluble chemicals like heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, nickel, etc. The presence of these chemicals (above the tolerance limit) can damage the kidneys, central nervous system, and liver.
Carbon monoxide gas is more dangerous than carbon dioxide gas. Why?
What are the harmful effects of photochemical smog and how can they be controlled?
Write down the reactions involved during the formation of photochemical smog.
Explain tropospheric pollution in 100 words.
What are the reactions involved for ozone layer depletion in the stratosphere?
What would have happened if the greenhouse gases were totally missing in the earth's atmosphere? Discuss.
Statues and monuments in India are affected by acid rain. How?
What do you mean by green chemistry? How will it help decrease environmental pollution?
What is smog? How is classical smog different from photochemical smog?
What do you mean by ozone hole? What are its consequences?
How do you account for the formation of ethane during chlorination of methane?
What are hybridisation states of each carbon atom in the following compounds ?
(i) CH2=C=O,
(ii) CH3CH=CH2,
(iii) (CH3)2CO,
(iv) CH2=CHCN,
(v) C6H6
What will be the minimum pressure required to compress 500 dm3 of air at 1 bar to 200 dm3 at 30°C?
What are the common physical and chemical features of alkali metals?
Calculate the molecular mass of the following:
(i) H2O
(ii) CO2
(iii) CH4
Assign oxidation number to the underlined elements in each of the following species:
(a) NaH2PO4
(b) NaHSO4
(c) H4P2O7
(d) K2MnO4
(e) CaO2
(f) NaBH4
(g) H2S2O7
(h) KAl(SO4)2.12 H2O
What is the basic theme of organisation in the periodic table?
Explain the formation of a chemical bond.
Choose the correct answer. A thermodynamic state function is a quantity
(i) used to determine heat changes
(ii) whose value is independent of path
(iii) used to determine pressure volume work
(iv) whose value depends on temperature only.
A liquid is in equilibrium with its vapour in a sealed container at a fixed temperature. The volume of the container is suddenly increased.
a) What is the initial effect of the change on vapour pressure?
b) How do rates of evaporation and condensation change initially?
c) What happens when equilibrium is restored finally and what will be the final vapour pressure?
Explain the formation of H2 molecule on the basis of valence bond theory.
What do you expect the nature of hydrides is, if formed by elements of atomic numbers 15, 19, 23 and 44 with dihydrogen? Compare their behaviour towards water.
Consider the following species:
N3–, O2–, F–, Na+, Mg2+ and Al3+
(a) What is common in them?
(b) Arrange them in the order of increasing ionic radii.
Knowing the properties of H2O and D2O, do you think that D2O can be used for drinking purposes?
In a reaction A + B2 → AB2 Identify the limiting reagent, if any, in the following reaction mixtures.
(i) 300 atoms of A + 200 molecules of B
(ii) 2 mol A + 3 mol B
(iii) 100 atoms of A + 100 molecules of B
(iv) 5 mol A + 2.5 mol B
(v) 2.5 mol A + 5 mol B
Write the names of isotopes of hydrogen. What is the mass ratio of these isotopes?
Write reactions to justify amphoteric nature of aluminium.
The electron energy in hydrogen atom is given by En = (–2.18 × 10–18)/n2 J. Calculate the energy required to remove an electron completely from the n = 2 orbit. What is the longest wavelength of light in cm that can be used to cause this transition?
Elements of group 14
(a) exhibit oxidation state of +4 only
(b) exhibit oxidation state of +2 and +4
(c) form M2-and M4+ion
(d) form M2+and M4+ions
Would you expect the first ionization enthalpies for two isotopes of the same element to be the same or different? Justify your answer.