How the stuff of life is transported, allocated, and incorporated Biogeochemistry How the stuff of life is transported, allocated, and incorporated
CO2 Carbon Carbon is the basis for life Why is carbon special? Litter Duff Soil ALL Life! CO2 Plankton CaCO3 Hydrosphere Atmosphere Biosphere Carbon is the basis for life Why is carbon special? Bonding Abundance The carbon cycle
Oxygen Most abundant element of earth’s crust Properties Respiration Electronegativity Oxidation – REDOX reactions Respiration
Hydrogen Most abundant element in the universe – big bang origins Water Carbon chains pH Proton pump
Compounds and Atomic Structures Compounds are specific combinations of elements Atoms are the smallest indivisible units of elements Protons (+) determine the element Neutrons add to the weight, determine isotope Electrons bond
Radioactive Isotopes Radioactive isotopes contain unstable nuclei – energy released Bond of neighboring compounds can be broken Damage to DNA Cancer Birth Defects Radioactive Tracers
Electron Arrangement Energy levels Valence Shell Unpaired electrons Bonding
Ionic Bonds Strongest bond Transfer of electron(s) Change of total charge
Covalent Bonds Sharing of electron(s) Double bond Valence (bonding) capacity
Polarity s