Environmental Impacts and Material Science Fundamentals

Environmental Phenomena

• Greenhouse Effect: The phenomenon whereby certain gases retain part of the energy emitted by the soil after being heated by solar radiation.
• Acid Rain: Atmospheric humidity combined with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by factories.
• Smog: Pollution caused by a combination of air contaminants during a long period of high pressure.
• Desertification: The transformation of land used for cultivation into desert lands.
• Loss of Biodiversity: The elimination of natural areas, destruction of tropical forests with a variety of species, fires, use of pesticides in farming, overfishing, and water and air pollution.

Materials and Metallurgy

• Material: Any matter used to manufacture something.
• Metallurgy: The science and technique of gathering and processing metals from minerals.
• Alloy: A substance with metallic characteristics obtained by the incorporation of several elements into a metal.
• Bakelite: An extremely hard synthetic resin.
• Steel: An alloy of iron and carbon that acquires great hardness and elasticity through tempering.
• Cast Iron: An alloy of iron and carbon used in molds to manufacture car parts.
• Bronze: An alloy of copper and tin, characterized by a tenacious, reddish-yellow color and distinct sound.
• Brass: A copper and zinc alloy, gold-colored, malleable, and highly resistant to corrosion.
• Tin Plate: Iron or steel sheet coated with tin.

Synthetic and Advanced Materials

• Glass: A hard, brittle, transparent material used to make windows and a variety of other products.
• Polymer Products: Macromolecules formed by the union of small molecules called monomers.
• Monomers: Small molecules that join to form polymers.
• Thermoplastics: Plastics that melt when heated and harden when cooled sufficiently.
• Elastomers: Polymers that exhibit elastic properties.
• Ceramic Materials: Inorganic compounds with atoms joined by ionic bonds.
• Composites: Synthetic materials composed of diverse molecular elements.
• Biomaterials: Biologically inert materials used for incorporation into living organisms.