Ervin Hindln Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Washinaton State University - Pullman, 99163
Water Chemistry Education
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Water chemistry education at universities in the United States is unique in that it is almost exclusively taught by independent university entities or entities closely allied with or oart of non-chemistw- deoartments. The ~ u b l i c . health sciences and sanitary or environmental engineering have had a significant influence in shaping the curriculum of water chemistry educational programs in many universities. A standard curriculum does not exist in the educational program a t the schools throughout the country. However, certain core courses are common to all programs. These courses can be categorized as applied analytical chemistry, applied organic-biochemistry, and applied physical chemistry. All courses pertain t o aquatic systems, which include fresh and marine waters, wastewaters, aquatic sediments and sludges, and aquatic life. Water chemistry can be hest defined as that branch of chemistry dealing~withnatural and artificial aquatic environments which is concerned with surface water and ground water systems as well as water and waste treatment processes. Such scientific phenomena as chemical equilibria. tbermodvnamics. and kinetics-dvnamics are relied on t o explain thk reactions and changes~occurringin the bulk of a body of water, in its unconsolidated sediments or sludges, and a t the water-air and water-solid interfaces. Water chemistrv is uniaue in that it deals with viable aauatic svstems where prinEip~esof other scientific disciplines become relevant. Water chemistry can be classified into two categories: fundamental and amlied. The categories were best defined In fundamental water chemistry, the chemist approaches the study of natural waters from a basic point of view. He studies a particular element or compound in a body of natural water without regard to immediate application of his results to man's use of water. In the case of applied water chemistry, the water chemist investigates the chemistry of an element or compound, the results of his study having an immediate application to man's utilization of his water resource. Though Lee describes the differences between these two categories in terms of natural waters, they are eauallv . . av. plicible to wastewaters and the parti&la
