Text:

• "Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry", by D. J. Jacob, Princeton University Press, 1999.
• In addition, a large part of the course will be taught using course notes that are available on the web.

Reference Books for Parts of the Course

• "Perspectives in Environmental Chemistry" edited by D. L. Macalady, (Oxford Press) 1998.
• "Chemistry of Atmospheres" (third edition) by R. P. Wayne, (Oxford Press) 2000.
• "Atmospheric Change" An Earth System Perspective by T. E. Graedel and Paul J. Crutzen (Freeman) 1993.
• "Environmental Chemistry" Colin Baird, (Freeman), 1995.
• "Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere" Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, 2000.
• "Chemistry of the Natural Atmosphere" Peter Warneck, 2000.

Outline

1. Measures of Atmospheric Composition: Mixing ratio, number density, and partial pressure.

2. Atmospheric Pressure: Measuring atmospheric pressure, mass of the atmosphere, vertical profiles of pressure and temperature, and Barometric law.

3. Atmosphere Transport: Molecular diffusion, horizontal motion, vertical motion, adiabatic lapse rate, and atmospheric lapse rate.

4. Chemical Kinetics: Rate expressions for gas-phase reactions, chemical equilibrium, photolysis, and radical-assisted reaction chains.

5. Interaction of Solar Radiation with the Earth’s Atmosphere: Bond energies, Beer-Lambert law, photochemistry, rate of photochemical reactions.

6. Stratospheric Chemistry: Kinetics of formation and removal processes in the ozone layer, including catalytic reactions of HOx, NOx, and ClOx, anthropogenic effects, the Antarctic ozone "hole", and UV radiation and health effects.

7. Oxidizing Power of the Troposphere.

8. Ozone Air Pollution.

9. Aerosols.

10. Acid Rain.

11. The Greenhouse Effect: Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wein's law, planetary temperatures, heat fluxes, and the greenhouse effect. Sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (H2O, CO2, CH4, CFC's, N2O), and the effects of aerosols and albedo changes.

12. Indoor Air Pollution: Chemicals, radon, asbestos, tobacco smoke, volatile building materials, bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.