December 8, 2015

As we finish this semester of General Chemistry, comment on your use of this Discussion Forum. Let me know whether you found it useful and in what manner.

Thanks for your participation!

December 3, 2015

Discuss one aspect of a comparison of a voltaic cell and an electrolytic cell.

In other words, we want to compare and contrast these two types of cells. The first person to respond choose one aspect to discuss and then the next person choose another aspect, etc.

December 1, 2015

Read the following article. What would you be looking for in a car that runs on a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell?

http://phys.org/news/2014-03-nrel-hydrogen-fuel-cells.html

November 24, 2015

We will ask a chain of questions again about Chapter 17 and thermodynamics! First person, answer my question, then ask your own. Continue on in this fashion.

A chemical reaction has an decrease in entropy and is exothermic. Is this reaction always spontaneous, never spontaneous or explain the impact of temperature on the spontaneity?

November 19, 2015

Read through the following article on Entropy. (I know, it is sort of long!) Did this article clarify material for you? If so, what and how?

http://entropysimple.oxy.edu/content.htm#second_law

Also attached is a couple of  youtube video that are interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykUmibZHEZk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsY4WcQOrfk

November 12, 2015

Answer the previous posted question and then post a question of your own, let's keep them conceptual. 
I will start with a question:  How do I identify when a salt is amphoteric?

November 9, 2015

Use the solubility product constant table (available under the resources tab on Oncourse) to answer the following question:

Which substance is more soluble in a pure sample of water: barium carbonate or lead(II) carbonate?

Explain your answer and ask another question about solubility equilibrium for the next person to answer.

November 5, 2015

Search on the internet the following "exercise and blood buffers". Use the articles you find to address ONE of the following questions in order from 1 to 6 please. Identify which question you are answering by number.
1. We are paying attention to the concept of anaerobic exercise, define this term and give an example of when this type of exercise occurs.
2. What is the body's immediate reaction to intense (anaerobic) exercise?
3. What blood buffers are impacted during intense exercise?
4. How do some athletes counteract the effect of intense exercise on blood buffers?
5. Explain (using Le Chatelier's Principle) the reason "nutritional" supplements counteract the effect of intense exercise.
6. What are some of the side effects to the "nutritional" supplements used?

If we address all of these questions, I will add a topic so that we can continue the thread.


Looks like we have addressed these questions. Let's now look at the following site: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/biobuff/biobuffers.html Discuss ONE of the concepts from this information.

October 29, 2015

Read one of the following articles. Is the publisher of the article a reliable source of information? Comment on the article itself.

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/10/06/446109168/climate-change-is-not-our-fault

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/02/419557692/white-house-we-have-a-beef-with-gmo-regulations

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/02/03/383501038/science-denialism-has-consequences

October 26, 2015

Read one of the following articles and share something you found interesting!

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/83/8331catnip.html

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/8045/8045sci2.html

http://cen.acs.org/articles/85/i25/Pool-Chemicals.html

October 22, 2015

Identify the following compound as either a weak acid, weak base, strong acid, strong base, acidic salt, basic salt or neutral salt. Identify what species would be present in aqueous solution: HCNO

Choose another compound for the next person.

October 8, 2015

We are going to ask questions for the following reaction according to Le Chatlier's Principle. I will start with a question, the next person should answer it and ask their own question. You can add numbers to the question, but let's try to keep it fairly conceptual.

                                        CaCO₃(s) ⇌  CaO(s)  +  CO₂(g)                 ∆H = 131.4 kJ

Explain what happens to the value of the equilibrium constant when CaO is added to the reaction at equilibrium.

October 5, 2015

The following link is to Chemistry Crash Course #28 on Equilibrium. It is a 10 minute video.
After you have watched it, comment on a concept that you learned more about, something that you found confusing/incorrect, or perhaps something that you think explains one of the concepts in a better/different way. Just one of these, don't get carried away! (By the way, you might learn something from #29 also)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5wNg_dKsYY

September 29, 2015

The following Ted Ed video takes a look at an analogy of the equilibrium process.

If molecules were people... - George Zaidan and ... - TED-Ed

View the video and then think of an example of an equilibrium process in real life (does not have to be a chemical process).

For example, when people who are unaccustomed to high altitudes move to a city at a higher altitude, they experience difficulty obtaining enough oxygen. There is less oxygen in the atmosphere and the equilibrium between oxygenated hemoglobin and unoxygenated hemoglobin shifts towards the unoxygenated hemoglobin resulting in less oxygen being delivered to the muscles and brain. Natives to the city do not have the same problem as their bodies have adapted (as will the newcomers over time) and produce more hemoglobin to carry more oxygen.

September 24, 2015

The following video is about 5 minutes in length. You should be able to click directly on it.  Watch it and comment on the two things listed below. (Probably inspired by "My Chemical Romance".)

How to speed up chemical reactions (and get a date) - TED-Ed

1. What concept did it help clarify or solidify for you?
2. What other analogy could you come up with for one of the factors affecting the rate of a chemical reaction?

September 20, 2015

4 NH₃(g)  + 5 O₂(g)   --->   4 NO(g)  +  6 H₂O(l)

I will write a question based upon rates of the above reaction. The first person will answer this question and then write a second question that the next person will answer and then write a question continuing on …..

So to start: What is the expression for the rate of disappearance of NH₃?

September 16, 2015

Find in everyday life, an instance where you observe rates of chemical reactions. What is impacting the rate of the reaction?

For example, certain food is stored in the refrigerator to slow down the growth of bacteria. The lower temperature decreases the rate of production of the bacteria.

September 10, 2015

List one concept that you are having difficulty with from Chapter 12.
a.  Why do you think that you are having issues with this concept?
b. Write down a number of things that you do understand about this one particular topic.

September 8, 2015

Follow the following link and read the short article. Comment on how you see this relating to what we are talking about and form an opinion about the use of salt on our roads during the winter.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-happens-to-all-the-salt-we-dump-on-the-roads-180948079/?no-ist

September 5, 2015

Identify a specific topic from Chapter 11 (or from C105 that applies to Chapter 11) that you are having a bit of difficulty with. Include your thoughts on "why" you are having difficulty with that topic. The next person to respond should address that problem to the best of their ability and then identify their own issue.

So I will start the process off:

"Jane" says that she is having difficulty with understanding why there is 1/8th of a corner atom inside a face-centered cubic unit cell. She thinks that it is because she has difficulty visualizing in three dimensions.  In response to this, I would explain:

A corner atom of a cubic unit cell is cut through by 3 planes (looking at the pictures in your text, page 521 and 522 will help you to see this as I try to explain). For example, a front plane, a side plane and a top plane. Since this "cuts" the atom in half each time, the first time I throw away 1/2 of the atom, leaving 1/2, the second "cut" throws away 1/2 of 1/2 leaving 1/4 and the third "cut" throws away 1/2 of 1/4 leaving 1/8 inside the cubic unit cell. It does not matter whether it is a primitive cubic unit cell, a face-centered cubic unit cell or a body-centered cubic unit cell, a corner atom will always have 1/8 of the atom inside one cubic unit cell. Maybe you can take an apple and actually cut it in half three times to help you visualize this.

A problem that I might have as a student: I don't understand how an increase in the external pressure causes the boiling point to increase. I know that we have been talking about this on the molecular level also, but I do not understand how temperature is related to the external pressure.

(Now the next person explain this to me and then list your own issue)

September 2, 2015

Read the following article. How does this relate to our Chapter 11 material? What new concept did you get out of this article?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/11/19/lake_effect_snow_in_buffalo_climate_change_is_making_snowstorms_more_extreme.html

August 28, 2015

Read the material at the link below: Chapter 13: Effective Learning and Teaching

www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap13.htm

Do any of these concepts “speak” to you, either from the learning or teaching point of view? How does it change the way you view learning or teaching?

Welcome to C106 Fall 2015

Lou Holtz – Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. 


What are your intentions for this semester in General Chemistry, C106? Please do not put it in terms of a grade, rather share what you hope to get out of the class. If you want to share why you are in this class also, I would appreciate knowing. This discussion forum is viewed by other students in your class, so keep that in mind as you post comments this semester. 
(Post your responses as a comment not a new posting!)