Rules for assigning oxidation states
When the products of a reaction are molecular, or there are polyatomic ions such as SO42- involved, it is not
Author: Sarah Parkes
What is a redox reaction?
Reactions in which both oxidation and reduction occur are called redox reactions. The acronym OILRIG might be familiar, reminding us
Using bond enthalpies to calculate an enthalpy change of reaction
Reactions are either endothermic or exothermic – the heat transferred during a chemical reaction is either moving from the system
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Enthalpy cycles, Hess cycles, thermochemical cycles
What is enthalpy exactly? An enthalpy change is the heat transferred at constant pressure by a chemical reaction Heat changes
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How to calculate enthalpy of neutralisation
Determining either the enthalpy change of neutralisation, or the enthalpy change for a classic displacement reaction (they are pretty much
How to calculate enthalpy of combustion of a fuel
You can calculate an experimental value for the enthalpy change of combustion for a fuel very simply – this is
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Getting up to speed in thermochemistry
Thermochemistry is all about the energy changes that happen alongside chemical reactions. Chemical reactions either release heat (exothermic) or
How to choose an indicator for an acid-base titration
An indicator is used to follow the progress of an acid-base titration and the end point of the reaction is
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How to explain the shape of a titration curve
1. Strong acid – strong base titrations Imagine we are titrating a strong acid such as hydrochloric acid against a
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What is a buffer and how do I calculate its pH?
A buffer is defined as a solution that is able to resist changes in pH when small amounts of acid
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