Atmospheric Chemistry

Undergraduate

provides a comprehensive study of the chemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere. Beginning with an overview of planetary atmospheres, we follow the evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere until today. Atmospheric chemical processes are interpreted from the perspectives of chemical kinetics, chemical thermodynamics, molecular orbital theory, and molecular spectroscopy. The mechanisms of stratospheric reactions are studied in the context of the ozone layer, while those of the troposphere are linked to the so-called ‘greenhouse effect’ and aspects of pollution. The very different upper-atmosphere chemistry is also studied.