GS105 objective #2

Weathering of rocks and Chemistry

 

1)  Be able to explain the difference between mechanical/physical weathering and chemical weathering

 

2)  Understand how mechanical weathering increases surface area and know how the following processes contribute to mechanical weathering

          a)  frost wedging                        d)  biological activity

          b)  unloading                              e)  abrasion

          c)  thermal expansion

 

3)  Understand how electrons, in general, fill orbitals in atoms  and be able to use/explain the octet rule.

 

4)  Why do certain elements give up/take on or share electrons?

 

5)  Know what an ion, anion and cation are

 

6)  Know the difference between ionic and covalent bonding

 

7)  Understand how to read a Lewis Structure for an atom, molecule or compound.

 

8)  Know what chemical formulas tell us and how we can use them

 

9)  Be able to balance chemical equations

 

10)  Know how to calculate the mass of an atom/compound

 

11)  Understand the concept of the mole and how to use Avogadro’s number

 

12)  Be able to convert between moles and mass of a given sample of a compound

 

13)  Know the difference between the following reaction types

                oxidation-reduction                            acid-base

                precipitation                                         combustion

 

14)  Be able to explain what it means that water is a polar molecule

 

15)  Know what dissolution, oxidation and hydrolysis are and how they relate to weathering of rocks

 

16)  What is an acid?

 

17)  How does carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere contribute to chemical weathering?

 

18)  Know what the optimum environment is for weathering rocks and why.