Reactions!

Theresa is panicking nearby trying to finish her Japanese project. :D So excuse me if this post happens to be filled with nonsensical nonsense.

Chemical reactions are basically the rearrangement of atoms and molecules into new compounds. Heat, bubbles, color changes, property changes, and precipitates (insoluble solild) are all signs of chemical reactions. Chemical reactions happen all around us, even inside our bodies when we breath, eat, and do anything.

Balancing these chemical reactions to have the same amount of atoms on both sides is kind of hard. D: It's kind of like algebra... kinda.

Also I got a 104% on my Solutions and pH test. Yay! :D

pH and PMSing

Potential Hydrogen and Periodic Male Stupidity.

Although they sound similar, they are really two very different things.

pH is a measure of how many [H+] ions are present in a solution. Its counterpart is the [OH-] ion, or the hydroxide ion. Hydrogen ions are generated when acids are dissolved in water, separating its Hydrogens from the anion. Once inside the solution, the hydrogen ions will react with water molecules to form Hydronium ions (H3O).

If a strong base is dumped into water instead, the [OH-] ions that separate will react with [H+] ions present in the water to form H2O molecules, thereby increasing the pH of the solution.

Making Solutions

In chemistry, we're learning about solutions. In a lab last week we made solutions of some liquids and solids. We calculated exactly how many grams of cobalt chloride we should add to a solution of water. After dissolving it in water, we took it to a spectrometer where we measured how much light it absorbed to determine how accurate our measurements were. Our group turned out to be off in the first measurement, but right-on in the second solution measurement of potassium permanganate.

It goes to show how much accuracy can affect science!

Like Dissolves Like

Dissolving is the process where a substance (also called the solute) is broken down in another substance (called the solvent). It forms a homogeneous solution which will never settle. In the case of water, a polar solvent (the universal solvent), it can dissolve other polar compounds and ionic compounds. Likewise, nonpolar solvents can dissolve nonpolar solutes. This principle is called 'like dissolves like', where similar compounds will dissolve other similar compounds.

Below, salt, an ionic solute, is being dissolved by water, the polar solvent.



Alka-seltzer is a solute which also dissolves in water.