Environmental Chemistry

The chemical processes of the air, earth and sky, the effects they have on humans and the effects we have on them are studied by environmental chemists. Advanced analytical techniques are used to identify the composition of a given atmosphere and the aim is to be able to follow the pathway of any reaction as it moves through an environment.

Articles about environmental chemistry

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Scientists agree that human activities are causing climate change, but the finer details are still unknown.
Delve deeper into climate change

Water is vital for our survival, but how much do we really know about it?
Delve deeper into water

The origins of life – where and how did life begin?
Delve deeper into origin of life

Green ammonia could reduce carbon emissions hugely by synthesising hydrogen via electrolysis or using biocatalysts or electrochemical alternative routes.
Delve deeper into green ammonia

We don’t know what causes lightning, how much of it there is, nor how to predict it. As global temperatures increase, so does lightning; as lightning increases, so do global temperatures. Its impact on atmospheric chemistry is still being explored.
Delve deeper into lightning

What happens to plastic when it gets disposed of into the environment, and how might it affect us?
Delve deeper into plastics

Geoengineering the climate would mean venturing into new technology with huge consequences. But what might those consequences be and is there an alternative solution to anthropogenic climate change?
Delve deeper into geoengineering

If a keystone species is lost, the entire ecosystem can collapse.
Delve deeper into keystone species

Chemists are exploring ways to mimic nature’s selective, low-temperature biochemical reactions that make delicate and reactive structures. Previously, chemists had copied high temperature geological reactions.
Delve deeper into ambient chemistry