English

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Understanding the central role of interfaces for environmental processes
Understanding the intense interactions between physics, chemistry and biology
Analysis of interfacial processes
Geochemical cycles of C in soil
Principles of abiogenesis

basics of general, organic and physical chemistry

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Lectures 2h/week, the e-learning system (LMS Moodle) is available to students.

Oral examination, answer to minimum 50% of questions is required.

1) Introduction, colloidal and interface systems.
2) Weak interactions: principles and relevance in natural systems.
3) Water: properties, anomalies.
4) Function of water in biogeochemical systems, hydration.
5) Biopolymers: production, properties and function.
6) Biogeochemical interfaces: soil organic matter, minerals and organisms.
7) Soil pore, sediments, biofilms.
8) Carbon dynamics and stabilization mechanisms in soils.
9) Process in aquatic systems.
10) Dissolved organic matter: properties, function and current models, natural and engineered particles.
11) Physicochemical environmental processes and interfaces: sorption, pollutant mobilization, colloid-facilitated pollutant transport, wetting, capillarity and environmental processes.
12) Interactions between biology and chemistry: interactions in natural systems, swelling, diffusion, precipitation.
13) Abiogenesis: current theories and concepts, implications.

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The students understand the central role of interfaces for environmental processes such as sorption and transport of environmental contaminants, bioavailability and toxicity. They understand the intense interactions between physics, chemistry and biology. The students gain experience in the analysis of interfacial processes and are competent for independent interdisciplinary process-oriented experiments.

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Butt, H.-J., Graf, K., Kappl, M. (2006): Physics and Chemistry of Interfaces. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. (EN)
Israelachvili, J.N. (2011): Intermolecular and surface forces, Elsevier, Amsterdam (EN)

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