University of Wisconsin - Stout

 

Environmental Chemistry Lab Manual

Dr. Ondrus

† A simple, reliable experiment.
* Suitable for fairly large groups.
‡ Best done by small groups or independent study students, and requires specialized equipment.

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Experiment
Periodic Table of the Elements
1 Copper and Arsenic in Treated Wood †
2 Effect of Heavy Metal Ions on the Growth of Microorganisms †
3 Analysis of Phosphate in Water †*
4 Phosphates in Detergents *
5 Determination of Nitrate Ion in Water †*
6 Ion Selective Electrodes
7 Salts (Ionic Compounds) in Water †*
8 Acidity and Alkalinity of Drinking Water *
9 Total Coliform Determination by Membrane Filtration †
10 Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen, BOD, and Rate of Oxygen Absorption in Water *
11 Identification of Food Dyes by Paper Chromatography †*
12 Molecular Models †*
13 Identification of FD&C Dyes by Visible Spectrophotometry ‡
14 Detection of Fuel Components by Gas Chromatography ‡
15 Determination of Heat of Combustion of Coal Using Bomb Calorimetry ‡
16 Heat of Combustion and Efficiency of Heat Transfer †*
17 Measurement of Sulfur Content in Coal *
18 Detection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water
19 Oxides of Sulfur, Carbon, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Magnesium, and Calcium *
20 Sampling of NOx (NO + NO2) and Particulates †
21 Preparation and Properties of Ozone ‡
22 Gas-Phase Analysis of Air Components and Air Pollutants Using FTIR ‡
23 Exponential Decay of a Transition Metal Complex Ion *‡
24 Single Digestion Procedure for Determining N, P, K, Ca, and Mg ‡
Laboratory and Lecture Demonstrations
1. Catalytic Oxidation of Acetone
2. Methane Density and Flammability
3. Gases that are Denser than Air: Petroleum Ether and CO2
4. Tyndall Effect
5. Alum Treatment of Muddy Water
6. Electrostatic Precipitation of Smoke Particles
7. Surface Tension and Lowering it with a Surfactant
8. Bielstein Copper Wire Test for Halogenated Organics
9. Disappearing Polystyrene Popcorn
10. Combustion of Hydrocarbons and Alcohols
11. Explosive Behavior of Ethanol
Appendix
A. Constants and Equations
B. Prefixes for Metric and SI Units
C. Common Ions
D. Greek Alphabet
E. Greek Letters in Environmental Chemistry
F. Abbreviations
G. Suggestions for Keeping a Laboratory Notebook