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Unanswered Questions

947 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
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
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
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
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-...
6 votes
0 answers
143 views

Seeking titanium compound, melting point <1600 °C, decomposes to TiO

The title says it all. I’m new to glass making, and I need a titanium compound that will render me $\ce{TiO}$ through decomposition, and has a melting point under 1600 °C. Hopefully I can get one ...
6 votes
0 answers
89 views

How can I compute the temperature change from the de-excitation of excited particle species?

The motivation for the question in the title is that I have some formula given, $$\Delta T=\frac{3410\ \gamma_{O_2}}{2.5+\gamma_{O_2}},$$ where $\gamma_{O_2}$ is the molar fraction of oxygen in a ...
5 votes
1 answer
78 views

How to remove glass shards out of a tiny hole to fit capillary tube?

This is oddly specific, but I am having trouble making the setup work for my electrochemical cell. We're doing Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy (SECCM)* and the device has a capillary tube fit ...
5 votes
0 answers
65 views

Dependence of elasticity on temperature and degree of vulcanization of typical commercial rubber band

I am doing a school experiment that tries to find how the elasticity of rubber band depends on temperature. From all the research I have done, theory suggests stress to increase linearly with ...
5 votes
0 answers
123 views

Regarding the standard reduction potential and electrolyte/solid interface

I am modelling lithium-sulfur batteries ($\ce{LiS}$ batteries) and a strange phenomenom happens during charge, named infinite charging, which I show below: The factor $f_\mathrm{C}$ that appears in ...
5 votes
0 answers
232 views

Is there an alternative to potassium iodide as an electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells?

I'm helping my son build a dye-sensitized solar cell for his school project according to the directions on homemade-circuits.com. We're currently in the process of gathering the necessary materials. ...
5 votes
0 answers
437 views

Is the formation of nitrogen dioxide spontaneous?

I was studying Thermodynamics from my Chemistry textbook (page 181-182, section 6.6 (a)). I have a question regarding the following text from my book. Now let us examine the following reactions: $$\...
5 votes
0 answers
99 views

Anomaly in Faraday's constant measurements

I was reading someone's biography, where the writer stated his early interest in Faraday's constant measurements (this is set six decades ago). My understanding was that Faraday constant is a true ...
5 votes
0 answers
111 views

Is a change in delta-delta-G typically notated as delta-delta-delta-G?

I'm currently writing a research paper, and need to refer to a difference between $\Delta{\Delta}G$s. The naive way to notate this would be $\Delta{\Delta}{\Delta}G$, but that looks cumbersome and ...
5 votes
0 answers
73 views

Thermodynamics of micellisation

Micellisation is found to be spontaneous i.e. $\Delta G < 0.$ It's found that $\Delta S > 0,$ which was intuitive since, solvated molecules are released. And, it may be most loosely started that ...
5 votes
0 answers
116 views

Reconciling Flory-Huggins Theory with Le Chatelier's Principle

(I discuss the Flory-Huggins parameter as chi from here onward). So I had learned in class that when discussing polymers the Flory-Huggins Theory helps us figure out whether mixing is ...
5 votes
0 answers
1k views

What are the factors that affect the redox reactions?

In my work, I used $\ce{Co(OH)2}$ and $\ce{Ni(OH)2}$ as an active materials to fabricate as symmetric supercapacitors in which I used 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide as an electrolyte. From ...
5 votes
0 answers
966 views

Concept of Limiting Current

I am investigating the current output from an electrochemical cell. The electrochemical cell can be broken down into several stages, for example: Diffusion of reactants across a capillary Diffusion ...
5 votes
0 answers
432 views

Compounds that Liberate Hydrogen from Water, Reversibly

I'm working on a paper which provides an overview of all the current methods for storing hydrogen gas as part of a renewable energy system, and I understand compressed gas and metal hydride storage ...
5 votes
0 answers
113 views

Describing evaporation without entropy -- what about Helmholtz?

I have in mind a rigid, impervious, heat-insulating vessel containing a monatomic liquid and vacuum. The vessel has an insulating forcefield inside, exactly at the surface of the liquid. It can be ...
5 votes
0 answers
305 views

Reduction of vanadyl ion

I want to reduce vanadyl to vanadium (III), can somebody please suggest some appropriate methods for it? I am trying to make a redox flow battery for a project but I have only vanadyl sulfate.
5 votes
1 answer
12k views

Electrolysis of concentrated sulphuric acid

In my textbook it is given that for electrolysis of dilute sulfuric acid at anode following reactions can occur: At moderate concentrations $\ce{2H2O -> O2 + H+ +4 e-}$ And for high ...
5 votes
1 answer
967 views

Entropy Change of Resistor

A very large swimming pool filled with water of temperature equal to $20\ \mathrm{^\circ C}$ is heated by a resistor with a heating power of $500\ \mathrm{W}$ for $20$ minutes. Assuming the water in ...
5 votes
1 answer
553 views

What does the equilibrium constant mean for reactions with very small concentrations?

When you calculate the equilibrium constant for a reaction with a higher concentration of reactants, the answer is fairly intuitive. For example, for the reaction: $$\ce{A + B <=> C}$$ when we ...

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