Mercury is an environmental pollutant because it can be converted by certain bacteria into the very poisonous substance dimethyl mercury, (CH3)2Hg. This compound ends up in the food chain and accumulates in the tissues of aquatic organisms, particularly fish, which renders them unsafe to eat. It is estimated that in the United States, 232 tons of mercury are released into the atmosphere each year. If only 1.3 percent of this mercury is eventually changed to (CH3)2Hg, how many pounds of this compound are formed annually?
Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry can be considered as a branch of thermodynamics that deals with the connections between warmth, work, and various types of energy, formed because of different synthetic and actual cycles. Thermochemistry describes the energy changes that occur as a result of reactions or chemical changes in a substance.
Exergonic Reaction
The term exergonic is derived from the Greek word in which ‘ergon’ means work and exergonic means ‘work outside’. Exergonic reactions releases work energy. Exergonic reactions are different from exothermic reactions, the one that releases only heat energy during the course of the reaction. So, exothermic reaction is one type of exergonic reaction. Exergonic reaction releases work energy in different forms like heat, light or sound. For example, a glow stick releases light making that an exergonic reaction and not an exothermic reaction since no heat is released. Even endothermic reactions at very high temperature are exergonic.
Mercury is an environmental pollutant because it can be converted by certain bacteria into the very poisonous substance dimethyl mercury, (CH3)2Hg. This compound ends up in the food chain and accumulates in the tissues of aquatic organisms, particularly fish, which renders them unsafe to eat. It is estimated that in the United States, 232 tons of mercury are released into the atmosphere each year. If only 1.3 percent of this mercury is eventually changed to (CH3)2Hg, how many pounds of this compound are formed annually?
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