The combined gas law is obtained by rearranging the ideal gas law, from PV = nRT. From this, we obtain an expression for the R: \[{\rm{R}}\; = \;\frac{{{\rm{PV}}}}{{{\rm{nT}}}}\] Now, because R is constant, this expression is true for … Read more
The oxidation state (or oxidation number) is assigned to each atom in a compound as an indicator of whether the atom is neutral, electron-rich, or electron-poor. The general principle is that the more electronegative atom pulls the electron density of … Read more
In the previous post, we talked about the definition of acids and bases according to the Arrhenius, Brønsted–Lowry, and Lewis acid-base theories. Refresh these concepts if you need to, but most often, you are going to identify acids as compounds … Read more
In a precipitation reaction, an insoluble product is formed which is called a precipitate. Precipitation reactions usually involve ionic compounds. For example, when an aqueous solution of sodium chromate (Na2CrO4) is added to an aqueous solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3), a dark orange … Read more
In the previous post, we talked about molarity which is the ratio of the moles of solute over the volume of the solution. For example, if we dissolve 43.6 g K2SO4 in 1 L of water, the molarity of the … Read more
Water-soluble ionic compounds such as acids, bases, and salts dissociate in water forming ions. For example, sodium chloride (NaCl) dissociates into Na+ and Cl– ions when dissolved in water: NaCl(aq) → Na+(aq) + Cl–(aq) The “aq” notation indicates that the salt is water-soluble, … Read more
In the previous post about solutions, we mentioned that all solutes that dissolve in water are classified as electrolytes or nonelectrolytes. Electrolytes are substances that dissolve in water to form solutions that conduct electricity. The aqueous solutions of nonelectrolytes, on … Read more
In the previous post, we talked about the limiting reactant and its importance in determining how much product can be produced in a chemical reaction. The amount of product(s) we calculate based on the limiting reactant is called the theoretical … Read more
