Questions tagged [notation]
A system of written symbols used to represent qualities or quantities, elements or molecules, or formulas in general. Usually a notation follows a convention or a guideline, often published by IUPAC-IUPAP. This tag should be used for questions regarding the proper use of a notation or misleading or uncommon notation in the scientific literature. Do not confuse this tag with the [nomenclature] or [terminology] tags.
266
questions
1
vote
1
answer
164
views
What does "/2" in the structure of calcium benzoate mean?
Please see the following figure. This is from the high school chemistry book of my son. He wants to know what does that /2 after $\ce{-COOCa}$ mean.
The book is a non English one. And I have changed ...
- 163
5
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How do we represent a molecule in text form?
How do we represent a molecule in text form?
A molecule, as a computer scientist I see it as a connected graph of atoms. A connected graph means that beginning at any atom, there is a path to any ...
- 159
4
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Notation "5% solution"
What does 5% aqueous solution of glucose mean? Note that it's just 5% and not 5%w/w. Do we assume it to be w/w?
The question is
If the osmotic pressure of 5% aqueous soultion of glucose is $\pi_1$ ...
- 400
1
vote
2
answers
401
views
Significant Figures in almost-scientific notation
For a homework assignment on significant digits, I have to find the number of significant digits in the number $0.40 \times 10^3$. I know that in scientific notation, the number of significant digits ...
- 151
7
votes
2
answers
27k
views
Why is ethanol written as C2H5OH not C2H6O?
This is balanced equation of fermentation of glucose:
$$\ce{C6H12O6(aq) -> 2C2H5OH(aq) + 2CO2(g)}$$
I know that the result of glucose fermentation is ethanol ($\ce{C2H6O}$). What represented in ...
- 289
0
votes
1
answer
58
views
What does $\mathrm{A}_r(\mathrm{H})$ represent when calculating the average natural weight of an elemental atom?
I have a question that explains the weights and abundances of various hydrogen isotopes, and the question concludes by asking to:
Calculate the atomic mass of hydrogen $\mathrm{A}_r(\mathrm{H})$ (...
- 229
5
votes
1
answer
238
views
Surface Functional Groups/Notation
I'm reasonably unfamiliar with chemical notation, and recently I've come across something I'm not sure how to interpret. In this article, the authors refer to the "surface groups" denoted by $\ce{#Ti-...
- 221
1
vote
2
answers
3k
views
Chemical formula of ethanol and other carbon compounds
Should chemical formula of ethanol be written as $\ce{CH3CH2OH}$ or $\ce{C2H5OH}$? And whats the logic behind it? I have seen the former being used more often, so why is ethane represented by $\ce{...
- 73
25
votes
4
answers
244k
views
How do I type a simple chemical equation in Microsoft Word?
How do I type a simple chemical equation in Microsoft Word? I can do subscripts, but long arrows are more difficult. I can't get them to align with the text.
Also, I can't figure out how to put a ...
- 361
44
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Why is methane's molecular formula conventionally "CH₄", while water is "H₂O" (among others)?
While revisiting some of my old notes about the Miller-Urey experiment, I stumbled across the "equation"...
Electricity + $\ce{CH4~/~ NH3~/~H2O~/~CO}$ = Amino Acids
This got me thinking.
...
- 1,742
28
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What does this lambda–sigma notation mean?
I am currently reading the CRC Handbook of Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data by John C. Tebby (CRC Press, 1991) and on several figures (ex. pages 9 to 14) there is a caption that reads ...
- 1,761