Unanswered Questions
382 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
6
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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
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0
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775
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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
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0
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98
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What is the pKa of the O-17 hydronium ion?
At low concentrations of a conjugate acid/base pair in aqueous solutions, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation gives a good approximation of the ratio of acid and base:
$$ \frac{[\ce{A-}]}{[\ce{AH}]} = ...
5
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187
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What pH value of 1M sodium crotonate solution supposed to be?
I need to prepare the $\pu{1M}$ solution of sodium crotonate, however, I don't have one in lab, but I do have sodium hydroxide and crotonic acid.
Thus, I calculated that for $\pu{100 mL}$ of $\pu{1M}$ ...
5
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0
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793
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Solubility of PbSO4
The solubility of $\ce{PbSO4(s)}$ increase with the addition of $\ce{H2SO4}.$ Why?
I don't quite understand this. When dissolving $\ce{PbSO4(s)}$ we get the equilibrium equation:
$$\ce{PbSO4(s) <=...
5
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479
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Why does pKw first decrease but eventually increase when temperature rises?
I understand the initial decrease in pKw.
$\ce{Heat + H2O (l) <=> H+ (aq) + OH- (aq)}$
Temperature increases, reaction shifts to the right, so
$\ce{H+} \text{ and } \ce{OH}$ ...
5
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159
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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 ...
5
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239
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Slow acidification process
I'm trying to find a substitute of Glucono delta-lactone (GDL). This food additive is usually used to produce silk tofu. Because of its slow hydrolysis the pH decreases very smoothly, which results in ...
4
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1
answer
234
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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
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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
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1
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366
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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
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74
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Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Catalysed by Potassium Iodide in Basic Solution
As part of my high school project, I had to measure the initial rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalysed by potassium iodide at different pHs. At higher pHs (alkaline conditions), I found ...
4
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0
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447
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Why is the experimental pH of vinegar (acetic acid) so much higher than expected?
I bought some sodium hydroxide on Amazon and went about titrating solutions I make with it.
As I'm an amateur chemist at home, I have limited tools. A pad of paper, some 5% acetic acid vinegar, and ...
4
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344
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Naming convention for buffer solutions/systems
Is there an official naming convention to follow for buffer solutions/systems? I've noticed that the name of the buffer usually just follows the name of the salt (ex. sodium acetate buffer), but what ...
4
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254
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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 ...