An Environmental Chemistry Laboratory for the Determination of a Distribution Coefficient
-
F. M. Dunnivant [1] ; Jason Kettel [1]
-
[1] Whitman College
Whitman College
Estados Unidos
-
- Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 79, Nº 6, 2002, pág. 715
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
-
Resumen
This article describes a new and relatively simple set of experimental procedures for determining distribution coefficients in an environmental chemistry laboratory. Such experiments are usually avoided in environmental chemistry courses because of the unpredictability of results when uncharacterized soil and sediment samples are used. These experiments rely on commercial reference materials that will allow instructors and students to reproduce our results and to illustrate sorption phenomena and fate and transport concepts. Students determine a distribution coefficient for copper as a function of copper concentration, suspended solids concentration, pH, and ionic strength. Their response is very positive, especially when the experiments are used in conjunction with lecture material on sorption phenomena and pollutant fate and transport concepts.
