Syllabus – Spring 2009

CHEM/ATOC 5151 – Atmospheric Chemistry

University of Colorado at Boulder – Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry & Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-10:45 am

Ekeley M203

Taught by:

Prof. Margaret Tolbert

CIRES 166

tolbert@colorado.edu

303-492-3179

Office Hours: Tu/Th 11 am-noon

Course Objective

After taking this course you should have a working knowledge of the principles of atmospheric chemistry and some in-depth knowledge on some areas of current interest. A good gauge of this accomplishment is for you to be able to understand the current research literature, or atmospheric chemistry seminars in Boulder (CU, NOAA, and NCAR).

Boulder is one (perhaps “the”) of the world’s capitals for atmospheric chemistry. If you are doing research in this area, make an extra effort to take advantage of the fact that you are here to attend seminars and get to know local and out-of-town atmospheric scientists.

Course prerequisites

The course prerequisites are undergraduate chemistry, physics and calculus. You are responsible for supplemental work that you may need to catch up in any of the prerequisite areas.

· Textbook

Required textbook:

Author	Publisher	Title
Finlayson-Pitts	Academic Press	Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere (QC879.6 .F57 2000)

Web page for the course

http://www.colorado.edu/chemistry/chem5151/

Course Grading Policy

The grade will be determined as the weighed average of:

• 20% homework
• 20% midterm exam
• 25% final exam
• 20% oral presentations
• 15% class participation

Late homework will not be graded unless we have agreed to an extension ahead of time. If they are graded, the grade will be multiplied by 0.75 to discourage lateness. Only exceptions are cases of personal (not academic) hardship.

Homework and Exam Legibility

It is often a significant problem to “decode” homework and exams if the writing is too small or messy, or if they are poorly organized. We may take points out for poor legibility at our discretion. The current homework will be posted on the course page in Word to save you the typing, should you decide to type your homework.

Please list the units of all results (SI units if possible).

Reading Assignments

Every lecture will have a reading assignment, as indicated in the course schedule below. Since we will be following the book in a general sense, reading the whole assignment before the lecture may be overkill. However you should look at it briefly, and it you are not able to understand a specific topic, you should look for appropriate background reading and read it before the lecture.

Structure of Student Presentations

Students will be required to present one journal paper on an atmospheric chemistry topic to the class. The purpose is to gain familiarity with current topics in the field as well as to understand and practice scientific presentation skills. Students should begin considering articles for presentation as soon as possible, preferably selecting one related to proposed research, and check with the instructor for their suitability no later than 2 weeks prior to presentation. Questions from the presentations will be included on the Final Exam. Presentations will be AGU style, 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes for discussion. Presentations will be made throughout the semester.

Class Participation

Students are required to attend class and participate in class discussions. We will be using “i-clickers” to aid in class participation. The i-clickers can be purchased from the CU bookstore for $36 and are required for this class. If you already have an i-clicker from another class, you do NOT need to buy another one. You will be asked questions daily in class and will click in your response. You will not be penalized for incorrect answers. You will, however, be awarded “participation” points simply by clicking in your response. This will account for 15% of your class grade.

Changes to the Course during the Semester

As with life, this syllabus is subject to change. I may make some changes to the course during the semester as appropriate, including to lectures, assignments, presentations, and exams.

CHEM-5151 Atm. Chem. Tentative Schedule for Spring 2009

Fundamentals

1. Introduction

Introduction to the Atmosphere (T, P structure of atmosphere, Units, composition of atm, scale heights, lapse rates) Reading: Text, Chapters 1 and 2

2. Radiation and Photochemistry

            Solar Radiation, Absorption Spectra, Light Scattering, Photochemistry, Photolysis rates

Reading: Text, Chapters 3 and 4

3. Transport

            Box models, Transport Timescales, General Circulation

            Continuity Equation, Potential Temperature Reading: class notes

4. Kinetics

            Gas Kinetics, Rate Laws, Termolecular Reactions, Temperature Dependence, Lifetimes

            Applications to simple ozone chemistry, Reading: Text, Chapter 5

Topics in Atmospheric Chemistry

5. Stratospheric Chemistry: Focus on Ozone

HOx cycle, sources and sinks, partitioning, reservoirs, lifetimes, reactions

            NOx cycle, sources and sinks, partitioning, reactions, supersonic and subsonic aircraft

            ClOx cycle, CFCs, polar stratospheric clouds, heterogeneous reactions, polar ozone

            sulfate aerosols, volcanic effects, global ozone

            Montreal protocol and amendments, CFC substitutes

            Reading Text, Chapters 12 and 13

6. Urban Pollution

Photochemical smog, Text, Chapter 6, pages 179-191 plus Chapter 7

PAN, Text, Chapter 6, pages 217-220

Denver air pollution, class notes

7. Pollution in Remote regions, Text, Chapter 6, pages 225 - end of chapter

8. Acid Rain Text, Chapter 8

9. Tropospheric Particles, Text, Chapter 9

10. Chemistry and Climate, Text, Chapter 14

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