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Unanswered Questions

890 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 ...
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
1k views

Why isn't orthoboric acid soluble in cold water even though it has polar B-OH bonds?

This is the information I found regarding orthoboric acid's solubility: Textbook (NCERT India): Sparingly soluble in water (didn't say what temperature - presumably cold) and highly soluble in hot ...
7 votes
0 answers
204 views

What factors contribute most to solubility of ionic substances in highly polar solvents, esp. ionic liquids and DES?

I am trying to determine a method to dissolve a mineral salt with a lattice energy of ≈18000 kJ/mol. I know that lattice energy is the most significant factor affecting solubility of an ionic ...
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
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
428 views

Why is there preferential adsorption of a common ion during preparation of colloids by peptization?

There was a similar question asked here on Chem SE, but the answer was not very satisfactory to me, so I am asking a fresh question. Peptization is the process of creating a colloid from a precipitate ...
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
2k views

Yellow precipitate in SnCl2 solution

I have a few small bottles of 0.5M $\ce{SnCl2}$ solution, however solution was prepared about 4 months ago, and there is a yellow precipitate on the bottom of each bottle. Working hypothesis is that ...
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
187 views

Alkali Metal Rosinates Solubility in Acetone

In violin finishing technology alkali metal Rosinates are used in varnish synthesis. Usually this alkali metal Rosinates are soluble in Turpentine. I also know that Copper, Zinc Rosinates are soluble ...
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 ...

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