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Unanswered Questions

240 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
6 votes
0 answers
164 views

Why is supersaturated sodium acetate so (meta)stable?

Sodium acetate is a common example used in general chemistry lectures to illustrate the idea of supersaturation, and that precipitation of a supersaturated solution can be initiated by a seed crystal. ...
6 votes
0 answers
773 views

How can copper(II) sulfate crystallize outside a glass vial?

I'm making copper sulfate crystals in glasses. Within a few weeks, the copper sulfate seems to crystallize both inside and outside the glass: (A few weeks after making a new solution) (Yet another ...
5 votes
0 answers
187 views

What pH value of 1M sodium crotonate solution supposed to be?

I need to prepare the $\pu{1M}$ solution of sodium crotonate, however, I don't have one in lab, but I do have sodium hydroxide and crotonic acid. Thus, I calculated that for $\pu{100 mL}$ of $\pu{1M}$ ...
5 votes
0 answers
793 views

Solubility of PbSO4

The solubility of $\ce{PbSO4(s)}$ increase with the addition of $\ce{H2SO4}.$ Why? I don't quite understand this. When dissolving $\ce{PbSO4(s)}$ we get the equilibrium equation: $$\ce{PbSO4(s) <=...
5 votes
0 answers
159 views

Where is my antimony going?

I work in a trace metals laboratory operating an ICP-OES. I've been having some trouble with the recovery of antimony in a weak $\ce{HCl}$ solution post-digestion. The antimony is part of a mix of ...
4 votes
1 answer
232 views

How does a silver chloride electrode (Ag/AgCl) convert the potential in aqueous solution to the wire?

I am aware of the redox chemistry that happens at the electrode surface, but I'm not sure how exactly a change in electrical potential in the solution would change the potential in the electrode?
4 votes
0 answers
86 views

Notation for spectral density in experimental community

In an open quantum system setup where the system is coupled to infinite harmonic oscillators as bath (as in the Caldeira leggett model, for example), through the Hamiltonian, $$H = \frac{\hat{p}^2}{2m}...
4 votes
1 answer
362 views

Variation of conductance of saturated aqueous solution with temperature

The following question was asked in JEE Mains 2020: Let $C_{\ce{NaCl}}$ and $C_{\ce{BaSO4}}$ be the conductances (in S) measured for saturated aqueous solutions of $\ce{NaCl}$ and $\ce{BaSO4}$, ...
4 votes
0 answers
254 views

Why does viscosity decrease when divalent cations are dissolved into aqueous solutions of sodium carboxymethylcellulose?

Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC/NaCMC/Aqualon) is a common product used in many instances for its unique properties, especially its ability to make solutions viscous. It is well known that the ...
4 votes
0 answers
2k views

How to break down soap and detergents?

I am building a greywater harvesting system. It is a 3-stage system: The 1st stage breaks down soap and detergents. The 2nd stage filters the water. The 3rd stage pumps water out of system. What ...
3 votes
0 answers
27 views

Non-binding buffer at pKa of roughly 6 that dissolves in ethanol?

I'm trying to find a proper buffer for my experiment, which I'd appreciate some suggestions on. I have a solution in which I want to measure the concentration of magnesium ions using a fluorescent ...
3 votes
1 answer
52 views

Experiment on pH vs Rate of Electrolysis - what do the results actually say?

My experimental setup looks at using different pH solutions (of $\ce{H2SO4}$ and $\ce{NaOH}$) for electrolysis of water with a Hoffman setup and then measuring the rate of production of gas (note this ...
3 votes
0 answers
35 views

Assessing stability of protein used for interaction experiments after changing buffer from tris to HEPES

I have a protein with a theoretical $\mathrm{pI}~9.0$ currently stored in $\pu{25 mM}$ tris and $\pu{250 mM}$ $\ce{NaCl}$ $(\mathrm{pH}~8)$ at $\pu{−80 °C}.$ I need to do experiments in HEPES at $\...
3 votes
0 answers
78 views

Measuring [A-]/[HA-] with Buffer and Indicator

I'm very confused on how to calculate the [A-]/[HA] value, given the fact that my dilution series uses buffers at various pH values with the same indicator (supplied at the same concentration to each ...
3 votes
0 answers
39 views

Maintaining our supersaturated oceans

Supersaturates solutions can be unstable and decay beautifully once a seed crystal is introduced. Our oceans near the surface are supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate. This map shows the ...

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