Chemistry 471/671

Chemistry 471/671: Introduction to Green Chemistry

Professor Timothy Dransfield
Office: S-1-85
Phone: X-6143
Email: timothy.dransfield@umb.edu

Professor Jason Evans
Office: S-1-84
Phone: X-6149
Email: jason.evans@umb.edu

Professor Wei Zhang
Office: S-1-127
Phone: X-6147
Email: wei2.zhang@umb.edu

This page will become the central location for reading assignments, problem sets and various course updates. Much of the information presented within these pages uses the PDF format. If you have trouble reading them, please download Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking here.

Course Syllabus and Grading Information

Student Presentation Schedule

General Links:

Full text of the Pollution Prevention Act

The 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded for Green Chemistry

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Al Gore and the IPCC

Current Science, perhaps inspiration for presentations?

Iodomethane approved for use by the EPA

The photolysis cross-section of ClOOCl is much smaller than previously believed - what are the consequences for ozone depletion?

Study: ‘Runaway’ melt on Antarctica, Greenland: Experts find more ‘pervasive, enduring’ thinning than previously realized

Time lapse photography of glacial retreat (20 minute video - thanks, Alex!)

Rapid tropospheric ozone production in winter means we don't understand something

"Reactive gas mercury" plays a crucial role in marine and arctic environments, but nobody actually knows what it is

Summer polar ice cap may not exist within 20 years

Unit 1: Dransfield. Introduction and Air Pollution

Figures for Upcoming Lectures:

Week One, Lecture Two: Atmospheric Structure

Week Two, Lecture One: Tropospheric Reaction Pathways

Week Two, Lecture Two: Urban Smog

Week Three: Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

(You don't need any figures ahead of time for the second lecture)

Week Four: Global Climate Change

Week Four: Global Climate Change 2

Lecture Notes (in pdf format):

Week One, Lecture One: Green Chemistry Overview

Week One, Lecture Two: Atmospheric Structure

Week Two, Lecture One: Tropospheric Reaction Pathways

Week Two, Lecture Two: Urban Smog Formation

Week Three: Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Week Three: Anthropogenic Halogen

Week Four: Global Climate Change

Week Four: Global Climate Change 2

Reading Assignments (due Thursdays):

Week 1: The 2009 Green Chemistry Awards - note: you are only responsible for pages 1-7, the winners. The rest is purely bonus material.

Week 1: Production of Conventional Liquid Fuels From Sugars

Week 2: An overview of some tropospheric pollution concerns

Week 3: Molina and Rowland

Week 3: Is the ozone layer recovering?

Week 4: The 2007 IPCC Report

Week 4: The Northwest Passage becomes reality

Problem Sets (due Tuesdays):

Problem Set 1 - due 9/15 Solution

Problem Set 2 - due 9/22 Solution Propene Oxidation Graphic

Problem Set 3 - due 9/29 Solution

Problem Set 4 - due 10/06 Solution

Unit 2: Evans. Alternative Energies

Lecture Notes (in pdf format):

Week One, Lecture One: Net Energy Analysis of Ethanol Production form Corn

Week One, Lecture Two: The Future of Biofuels

Week Two, Lecture One: Fuel Cell Technology

Week Two, Lecture Two: The Hydrogen Economy

Week Three, Lecture One and Two: Solar, Nuclear Energy, Wind and Others

Reading Assignments (due Tuesdays):

Week 1:

Must reads (by Tuesday October 6)

Patzek on Corn Ethanol

Farrell on Corn Ethanol

Sugar Cane as Biofuel

Additional articles if inteested and ambitious

Patzek on Sugarcane

Supporting info for Farrell article

Patzek; Bilking the tax payer

Ethanol from Municiple solid waste

Week 2:

Must read

Hydrogen Posture Plan Dec 06 (except) (by Tuesday October 13)

Proceedings of the IEEE 2006 (by Tuesday October 13)

Iceland Hotbed (for Thursday October 15)

Iceland Reality (for Thursday October 15)

Additional materials for reference

Hydrogen Posture Plan Dec 06 (full version)

http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/

Week 3:

DEO budget for effeient energy and reneawable resources
Solar Research

Solar Budget

Net Energy Analysis of Solar Cells

Generation IV nuclear plants presentation

An account of happened at Chernobyl in 1986 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_accident

An account of what happen at 3 mile island in 1979 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_mile_island#Accident

Fusion