How to calculate the pH of strong acids and weak acids
The strength of an acid (HA) is determined by its ability to donate protons or H+ ions to water. The [H+(aq)]
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Author: Sarah Parkes
What is the ionic product of water?
Water self-ionises – essentially it reacts with itself to very small extent. We know this because even pure water has
What are conjugate acid-base pairs?
We should start by appreciating that in reality many acid-base reactions are equilibrium reactions, even if it doesn’t appear obvious
How to define an acid or a base?
At GCSE we defined acids as substances that ionised in water to give hydrogen ions, and an alkali dissolved in
Ions and ionisation energies
An ion is an atom that has gained or lost electrons so that it is now charged – losing electrons
Atomic absorption and emission spectroscopy
How can we possibly know what elements are present in the stars? It’s not like we can nip off and
Nuclear fusion reactions
Have you ever wondered where the elements originally came from? I think it is time for a little stardust and
Atomic orbitals, sub-orbitals and electron configurations
At GCSE we learnt that electrons are arranged in shells or energy levels around a central nucleus – the first
Continue readingAtomic orbitals, sub-orbitals and electron configurations
Wavefunctions, quantum numbers and the atomic orbital
Wavefunctions and quantum numbers are the foundations of our current understanding of atomic structure, but this is advanced stuff, so
Continue readingWavefunctions, quantum numbers and the atomic orbital
Developing a classical model of the atom
We are all familiar with the ‘solar system’ model of the atom that we used at GCSE to explain the