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NEET 2022 | Class 12

Environmental Chemistry - Detailed Guide

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Last updated date: 29th Mar 2024
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Environmental Chemistry includes a basic understanding of chemical and biochemical phenomena that readily occurs in nature. This is also considered as the unique study of how an unpolluted atmosphere works, and which naturally occurring chemicals are present, what effects they possess, and present in what concentrations. These would be unrealizable to study without proper information about Environmental Chemistry MCQ. It is considered as the multi-disciplinary science, which includes chemistry, physics, material science, agriculture, and many more. This session of MCQ of Environmental Chemistry will significantly help you to crack NEET examinations easily. 

Environmental Segment:

There are four environmental segments are present:

  • Atmosphere: It is the protective layer of gases and supports life and a hostile environment of outer space. It can transmit only UV, visible, IR, and radio-waves. 

  • Hydrosphere: It mainly covers more than 75% of the surface of the earth.  

  • Lithosphere: It consists of three major layers such as crust, mantle, and outer, inner core. It significantly consists of minerals from the outer mantle of solid earth. 

  • Biosphere: It replenishes us with foods, and there remains cycling of materials through excretion, expiration, and extinction of the form. 

Toxic Chemicals in the Environment:

The chemicals present in the atmosphere are both toxic and non-toxic in nature. Those toxic chemicals are continuously gushing from the industries into the air, water, soil, and finally to human food from the environment. Once these toxic chemicals are associated with the biological process, they create pernicious effects on the environment. 

There is an abundance of toxic elements found in the environment, and many of them are still unknown. These toxic metals are significantly known to provide detrimental effects to animals and human beings. These toxic metals are Al, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ag, In, Ti, Zn, Hg, As, Cd, Be, Ba, W, U, etc. All of these toxic metals are required in the least quantities for the development of animals. 

Classification of Toxic Matters:

Toxic matters are differentiated according to their effects and functions. These are:

  • Mutagens: In the field of genetics, a mutagen is mainly known to change the genetic material, which is DNA. There are a plethora of chemicals directly interacting with DNA, such as PAH, benzenes, aromatic amines, etc. But these are not mutagenic in nature, but they produce mutagenic compounds in cells through metabolic procedures. 

  • Carcinogens: These are mainly known as cancer-causing substances in animals and humans. There are plenty of carcinogens present such as radioactive isotopes, asbestos, radon, arsenic, and other heavy metals.   

  • Pesticides: These are known as the chemicals to protect the fodders and grains from insects. One superior example of pesticides is DDT. 

  • Food Additives: These are being applied to the food substances to conserve its flavor and elevates its appearance and taste. These are the types of food additives illustrated below:

  1. Anti-caking Agents: It is known to protect elements from getting lumpy such as potassium aluminum silicate, calcium polyphosphate, etc.  

  2. Antioxidants: It protects foods from going vapid or oxidized. Example: Vitamin C, disodium EDTA, etc.

  3. Artificial Sweeteners: Enhance the sweetness. Example: aspartame, saccharin, etc.

  4. Emulsifiers: Restrains fat from clotting together. Example: dimethyl polysiloxane.

  5. Colors: example: nicotinamide, turmeric, tartrazine, etc.

  6. Food Acids: Sustain the correct acid level in the food, such as 1,4-butyrolactone, potassium or sodium fumarate, etc.  

Parameters of Water Pollution:

These parameters are known to determine the extent and nature of the pollution in water:

  • Physical Parameter: Odor, temperature, color, turbidity, and density, etc.

  • Chemical Parameter: COD, Dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, BOD, redox potential, suspended solids, oxides, by-products, etc.

  • Biological Parameter: Various types of microorganisms, such as algae, fungi, bacteria, etc. 

Main Sources of Water Pollutants:

1. Point Sources: Point sources are known as which are swiftly identifiable at a single location, these are:

  • Raw sewage disposal

  • Sanitary landfills

  • Industrial waste disposal

  • Municipal sewage leakage

  • Aerial fallout

  • Combined sewer overflows

2. Non-point Sources: Non-point Sources are known as whose location can properly be identified; these are:

  • Pollution due to agricultural activities

  • Eutrophication

  • Pollution due to industrial chemicals

  • Heavy metals

  • Consequences of eutrophication

  • Control of eutrophication

MCQ:

This environmental chemistry MCQ for NEET will significantly help you to crack this examination:

1. Green Chemistry Defines Such Reactions Which:

  1. curtail the usage and production of detrimental chemicals

  2. Produce colors during various reactions

  3. Study the reactions in plants

  4. Are concerned with the depletion of the ozone layer.

Ans: (b) Produce colors during various reactions

2. Which of the Following Statement is not True:

  1. Clean water should possess the BOD value of less than 5 ppm

  2. The pH of drinking water should be in between 5.5-9.5

  3. The concentration of DO should be lower than 6 ppm is best for the growth of fish.

  4.  Oxides of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon are the most extensive air pollutant

Ans: (a) Clean water should possess the BOD value of less than 5 ppm.

3. What is Biosphere?

  1. The name of a bird

  2. By which life evolved

  3. In which isolated interact with each other

  4. An organic compound

Ans: (c) In which isolated people interact with each other.

4. The Vital Air Pollutant Amidst the Following is:

  1. CO2

  2. CO

  3. Sulfur

  4. N2

Ans: (b) CO. 

5.  The Pollution can be Controlled by:

  1. Checking atomic blasts

  2. Manufacturing electrically operated vehicles

  3. Treatment of Sewage

  4.  All of these

Ans: (d) All of these.

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NEET 2024 Important Dates

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NTA has announced the NEET 2024 application form release date on the official website https://neet.nta.nic.in/. The NEET 2024 Application Form is available on the official website for online registration from 9 February 2024 to 9 March 2024. Besides the NEET 2024 application form release date, learn about the application process, steps to fill out the form, how to submit it, the exam date sheet, etc online. Check our website for more details.
NEET 2024 applicants should be aware of the eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. NTA has released all the relevant information on the official website, i.e. https://neet.nta.nic.in/. NEET 2024 aspirants should have passed Class 12th or any other equivalent qualifying examination in 2023, or 2022, or students appearing in the Class 12th final exam in 2024 can also apply. For further details, visit our website.
As per the union government’s norms, NTA has released the NEET 2024 reservation criteria for different candidates’ categories (SC/ST/OBC/PwD), All India Quota, State Government Quota, Deemed Universities, and more. You can check more details on the Vedantu website.
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NEET 2024 free online mock test series for exam preparation are available on the Vedantu website for free download. Practising these mock test papers of Physics, Chemistry and Biology prepared by expert teachers at Vedantu will help you to boost your confidence to face the NEET 2024 examination without any worries. The NEET test series for Physics, Chemistry and Biology that is based on the latest syllabus of NEET and also the Previous Year Question Papers.
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NTA is responsible for the release of the NEET 2024 cut off score. The qualifying percentile score might remain the same for different categories. According to the latest trends, the expected cut-off mark for NEET 2024 is 50% for general category candidates, 45% for physically challenged candidates, and 40% for candidates from reserved categories. For the general category, NEET qualifying marks for 2024 ranged from 715-117 general category, while for OBC/SC/ST categories, they ranged from 116-93 for OBC, 116-93 for SC and 116-93 for ST category.
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NEET 2024 Results

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NEET 2024 Top Colleges

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FAQs on Environmental Chemistry - Detailed Guide

FAQ

1. What is environmental chemistry?

Environmental studies deal with the sum of all social, economical, biological, physical, and chemical interrelations with our surroundings, and Environmental chemistry deals with the study of the origin, transport, reactions, effects, and fates of chemical species in the environment. For a detailed explanation of environmental chemistry, Vedantu.

2. What is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)?

The quantity of oxygen required by bacteria to break down the organic matter present in a certain volume of a sample of water is called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The amount of BOD in the water is a measure of the amount of organic material in the water, in terms of how much oxygen will be required to break it down biologically by microbes.

3. What is eutrophication?

The process in which nutrient-enriched water bodies support a dense plant a population, that kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen and results in loss of biodiversity is known as Eutrophication. For more details, quick revision notes, or NCERT solutions on environmental chemistry, visit Vedantu's official website.

4. What is green chemistry?

Green chemistry is about using existing knowledge and principles from chemistry and other sciences to reduce negative impacts on the environment. Green chemistry is a production process that would bring about minimum pollution or deterioration to the environment. To learn more about green chemistry and make concepts concrete visit the Vedantus official website.

5. Is ncert enough for environmental chemistry?

Yes,  for environmental chemistry, NCERT is enough. The chapter is entirely theory based and it's very easy to score marks as students are usually familiar with the contents they study in this chapter. To score well in  NEET, read NCERT well, solve intext and exercise questions and practise lots of MCQs.