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Unanswered Questions

1,188 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
10 votes
1 answer
328 views

Why are IUPAC's definitions of exo- and endothermic disconnected from the direction of heat flow?

I'm wondering if anyone can provide a rationale for IUPAC's definitions of exothermic and endothermic since they disconnect these terms from the direction of heat flow. Specifically, here are IUPAC's ...
8 votes
0 answers
392 views

What exactly is an "electron-sponge"?

What exactly an "electron-sponge" [behavior/action/property/system] nickname is, and what makes a material an "electron-sponge" (preferably, quantitatively)? From what I found, it's typically a ...
8 votes
0 answers
102 views

Removal of nickel plating on MgB2 without damaging the boride?

I need to remove a nickel plating of a MgB2 wire without causing damage to the MgB2. I felt that electrolysis is the best method but I do not know what electrolyte to use for this. I also need to coat ...
7 votes
0 answers
135 views

Metal hydrolysis and equilbrium constants from stability constants

Problem: I want to create minimum solubility plots for a series of metal hydrolysis species against pH (below). But I cannot reconcile literature stability constants and equilibrium constants. Context:...
7 votes
0 answers
183 views

Why does entropy increase in reactions that make more molecules?

I used to understand this (more molecules ⇒ more degrees of freedom), but do no longer, because the total number of atoms is conserved, so translational d.o.f. should just be turned into internal d.o....
7 votes
0 answers
516 views

Does phosphoric acid remove stainless steel electropolished layer?

Electropolished stainless steel has a high corrosion resistance due to the oxide film that is created during electropolishing. The film mainly consist of chromium(III) oxide. Phosphoric acid is ...
6 votes
0 answers
171 views

Which xylenes, if any, are immiscible with DMSO?

"Xylene" is reported to be immiscible with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), according to a few solvent miscibility tables found online (chart 1, chart 2, chart 3). I have tried to locate some ...
6 votes
0 answers
82 views

Do "pseudo Van der Waals" gases exist?

In college, when deriving the Langmuir isotherm for gas-solid adsorption, the professor proposed a modified version of the Van der Waals state equation, what he called the "pseudo Van der Waals ...
6 votes
0 answers
135 views

Correct Definition of Absolute Electrode Potential

I thought absolute electrode potential is Galvani potential difference at the interface. However, it is given by following equation in John Bockris - Modern Electrochemistry (Ref.1): $$ E^M \mathrm{(...
6 votes
0 answers
206 views

Why is the reverse aldol cleavage of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate highly endergonic under standard conditions?

I have another question similar to this one. I just don't have intuition for why reactions are thermodynamically favorable or unfavorable and I'd like to build it. This time I'd like to ask about ...
6 votes
0 answers
67 views

Using Le Chatelier's Principle to Change Mechanical Energy to Chemical Energy

I was interested in an application of Le Chatelier's principle, where an increase in pressure could result in a decrease in the moles of gas. In particular, a situation where when the pressure ...
6 votes
1 answer
197 views

Understanding elementary rate laws from a probability stand point

I am learning about chemical kinetics and dynamics and as I understand for a general chemical reaction $$\ce{aA + bB -> cC + dD} $$ whose reaction rate, r, can be described by an elementary rate ...
6 votes
0 answers
614 views

Thermophysical properties of liquid Galden LS 230 between 25 °C and 230 °C

I'm looking for thermophysical properties of Galden LS 230, a liquid polymer (PFPE) produced by Solvay (https://www.solvay.com/en/markets-and-products/featured-products/Galden.html) at temperatures ...
6 votes
0 answers
775 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 ...
6 votes
0 answers
207 views

I found transition states (TS), but calculations aren't supported by experiment. Do I look for more TSs or somewhere else?

I'm using Gaussian to investigate a catalyst system. Experimental evidence showed that one of three analogues (R = phenyl, Ph), yielded a benzosultam when treated with 2,4,6-...

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