Environmental Vocabulary for English Learners

Environmental Vocabulary for English Learners For English-language learners, vocabulary related to environmental issues can be challenging. Tables sectioned according to types of environmental issues can help. These tables provide the word or phrase in the left column and an example of how to use the term(s) in the righthand column to provide context. Important Issues From acid rain to pollution and radioactive waste, there are many environmental issues around which discussion and debate have evolved. Students will likely hear many of these terms on the news or read about them on the internet and in newspapers. The general list of issues should prove helpful. Term or Phrase Example Sentence acid rain The acid rain ruined the soil for the next three generations. aerosol Aerosol can be extremely toxic and must be used with care when sprayed in the air. animal welfare We must consider animal welfare as we strive to create a balance between man and nature. carbon monoxide Its important to have a carbon monoxide detector in your home for safety. climate The climate of an area can change over long periods of time. conservation Conservation focuses on making sure we protect the nature we havent already lost. endangered species There are many endangered species all over the planet that need our help. energy Humans are using an ever increasing amount of energy. nuclear energy Nuclear energy has passed out of fashion after a number of serious environmental disasters. solar energy Many hope that solar energy can wean us off our need for fossil fuels. exhaust fumes The exhaust fumes from cars standing in traffic can make you cough. fertilizers Fertilizers used by huge farms can pollute drinking water for miles around. forest fires Forest fires can burn out of control and create hazy weather conditions. global warming Some doubt that global warming is real. greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect is said to heat up the earth. (non)renewable resources As we move forward, we need to become more dependent on renewable energy resources. nuclear The exploration of nuclear science has created great boons, as well as horrific dangers for humanity. nuclear fallout The nuclear fallout from a bomb would be devastating to the local population. nuclear reactor The nuclear reactor was taken offline because of technical problems. Oil slick The oil slick caused by the sinking vessel could be seen for tens of miles. ozone layer Industrial additives have been threatening the ozone layer for many years. pesticide While its true that pesticides help kill off unwanted insects, there are serious problems to be considered. pollution Water and air pollution situations have improved over the last few decades in many countries. protected animal Its a protected animal in this country. You cant hunt it! rainforest The rain forest is lush and green, bursting with life from all sides. unleaded petrol Unleaded petrol is certainly cleaner than leaded petrol. waste The amount of plastic waste in the ocean is shocking. nuclear waste Nuclear waste can remain active for many thousands of years. radioactive waste They stored the radioactive waste at the site in Hanford. wildlife We must take the wildlife into account before we develop the site. Natural Disasters From drought to volcanic eruptions, natural disasters are a big part of the environmental discussion, as this table shows. Term or Phrase Example Sentence drought The drought has gone on for sixteen straight months. No water to be seen! earthquake The earthquake devastated the little village in the Rhine River. flood The flood forced more than 100 families from their homes. tidal wave A tidal wave hit the island. Luckily, no one was lost. typhoon The typhoon hit and dropped more than ten inches of rain in one hour! volcanic eruption Volcanic eruptions are spectacular, but they dont occur very often. Politics and Action Discussion generally leads to the formation of environmental groups and actions, some positive and some negative, as this final listing demonstrates. Environmental groups are followed by a listing of verbs (or actions) related to the environment and environmental issues. Term or Phrase Example Sentence environmental group The environmental group presented their case to the community. green issues Green issues have become one of the most important themes of this election cycle. pressure group The pressure group forced the company to stop building on that site. cut down We need to cut down on pollution drastically. destroy Human greed destroys millions of acres each year. dispose (of) The government must dispose of the waste properly. dump You can dump recyclable garbage in this container. protect Its our responsibility to protect the natural habit of this beautiful planet before its too late. pollute If you pollute in your own backyard, youll eventually notice it. recycle Make sure to recycle all paper and plastics. save We save bottles and newspapers to take to recycle at the end of each month. throw away Never just throw away a plastic bottle. Recycle it! use up Hopefully, well not use up all our resources before we start solving this problem together.

Examples of Polar and Nonpolar Molecules

Examples of Polar and Nonpolar Molecules The two main classes of molecules are polar molecules and nonpolar molecules. Some molecules are clearly polar or nonpolar, while many have some polarity and fall somewhere in between. Heres a look at what polar and nonpolar mean, how to predict whether a molecule will be one or the other, and examples of representative compounds. Key Takeaways: Polar and Nonpolar In chemistry, polarity refers to the distribution of electric charge around atoms, chemical groups, or molecules.Polar molecules occur when there is an electronegativity difference between the bonded atoms.Nonpolar molecules occur when electrons are shared equal between atoms of a diatomic molecule or when polar bonds in a larger molecule cancel each other out. Polar Molecules Polar molecules occur when two atoms do not share electrons equally in a covalent bond. A dipole forms, with part of the molecule carrying a slight positive charge and the other part carrying a slight negative charge. This happens when there is a difference between the electronegativity of each atom. An extreme difference forms an ionic bond, while a lesser difference forms a polar covalent bond. Fortunately, you can look up electronegativity on a table to predict whether or not atoms are likely to form polar covalent bonds. If the electronegativity difference between the two atoms is between 0.5 and 2.0, the atoms form a polar covalent bond. If the electronegativity difference between the atoms is greater than 2.0, the bond is ionic. Ionic compounds are extremely polar molecules. Examples of polar molecules include: Water - H2OAmmonia - NH3Sulfur dioxide - SO2Hydrogen sulfide - H2SEthanol - C2H6O Note ionic compounds, such as sodium chloride (NaCl), are polar. However, most of the time when people talk about polar molecules they mean polar covalent molecules and not all types of compounds with polarity! Nonpolar Molecules When molecules share electrons equally in a covalent bond there is no net electrical charge across the molecule. In a nonpolar covalent bond, the electrons are evenly distributed. You can predict nonpolar molecules will form when atoms have the same or similar electronegativity. In general, if the electronegativity difference between two atoms is less than 0.5, the bond is considered nonpolar, even though the only truly nonpolar molecules are those formed with identical atoms. Nonpolar molecules also form when atoms sharing a polar bond arrange such that the electric charges cancel each other out. Examples of nonpolar molecules include: Any of the noble gasses: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe (These are atoms, not technically molecules.)Any of the homonuclear diatomic elements: H2, N2, O2, Cl2 (These are truly nonpolar molecules.)Carbon dioxide - CO2Benzene - C6H6Carbon tetrachloride - CCl4Methane - CH4Ethylene - C2H4Hydrocarbon liquids, such as gasoline and tolueneMost organic molecules Polarity and Mixing Solutions If you know the polarity of molecules, you can predict whether or not they will mix together to form chemical solutions. The general rule is that like dissolves like, which means polar molecules will dissolve into other polar liquids and nonpolar molecules will dissolve into nonpolar liquids. This is why oil and water dont mix: oil is nonpolar while water is polar. Its helpful to know which compounds are intermediate between polar and nonpolar because you can use them as an intermediate to dissolve a chemical into one it wouldnt mix with otherwise. For example, if you want to mix an ionic compound or polar compound in an organic solvent, you may be able to dissolve it in ethanol (polar, but not by a lot). Then, you can dissolve the ethanol solution into an organic solvent, such as xylene. Sources Ingold, C. K.; Ingold, E. H. (1926). The Nature of the Alternating Effect in Carbon Chains. Part V. A Discussion of Aromatic Substitution with Special Reference to Respective Roles of Polar and Nonpolar Dissociation; and a Further Study of the Relative Directive Efficiencies of Oxygen and Nitrogen. J. Chem. Soc.: 1310–1328. doi:10.1039/jr9262901310Pauling, L. (1960). The Nature of the Chemical Bond (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 98–100. ISBN 0801403332.Ziaei-Moayyed, Maryam; Goodman, Edward; Williams, Peter (November 1,2000). Electrical Deflection of Polar Liquid Streams: A Misunderstood Demonstration. Journal of Chemical Education. 77 (11): 1520. doi:10.1021/ed077p1520