The chemistry of seawater

A. Terms that should mean something to you
Related words are grouped together

Atom [ 146-147 ] Proton Neutron Electron [ 150, 201 ] Ion [ 170 ] Electric charge Polarity [ 147-148 ]	Salt, crystal, solid [ 171 ] Polar molecule [ 170-171 ] Solvents [ 171 ] Dissolving [ 171 ] Diffusion [ 171 ] Chemical precipitation [ 171 ] Saturation [ 171 ]	Cohesion [ 146 ] Hydrogen bond [ 146 ] Adhesion [ 146 ] Surface tension [ 146 ]
Temperature [ 147-148 ] Phase change [ 147-151 ] Density [ 147-148 ] Thermocline [ 155 ] Vertical stratification [ 155 ] Freezing [ 148-150 ] Melting [ 148-150 ] Evaporation [ 150-151 ] Condensation [ Lecture ] Heat capacity [ 147 ] Sea surface temperature [ 157 ]	Major ions [ 172 ] Salinity [ 171-175 ] Halocline [ 156 ] Diffusion [ 171 ] Law of Constant Proportions [ 175 ] Heat capacity [ 147 ] Sea surface salinity [ 157 ]	Global elemental cycles [ 172-175 ] Steady-state [ lecture ] Residence time [ 175-177 ] Conservative elements [ 177-178 ] Non-conservative elements [ 177-178 ] Mixing time [ 177 ] Dissolved gases [ 178-179 ] pH [ 179-181 ] Vertical profiles [ lecture ] Source of salt [ 172-175 ]

B. Questions you should be able to answer
1. What is water?
2. Why is water such a good solvent?
3. What's happening when water changes phase?
4. Why does the ocean have a particular salinity?
5. What is salinity?
6. Why do the world oceans have a latitudinal surface salinity pattern?
7. What are the major dissolved ions in seawater?
8. How do solutes enter the seawater reservoir?
9. How do solutes exit the seawater reservoir?
10. Why doesn't precipitation or evaporation affect conservative elements in seawater?
11. Are ions with longer residence times more or less chemically reactive?
12. Why do dissolved gases need to be measured onsite?
13. What is a vertical profile?

C. On the web - General references

E. Notes and diagrams
1.    Periodic table of the elements
                   Printable version
       Web Elements
                   Interactive web version
                   Los Alamos National Lab
2.    Major ions in seawater
3.    Comparison of major components on earth: Volcanic gases, atmospheric gases, continental crust, and seawater