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Questions tagged [physical-chemistry]

Study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts [thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetic theory, quantum mechanics...].

Physical chemistry deals with the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts [thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetic theory, quantum mechanics ...].

Some of the subfields that physical chemistry includes are:

  • Quantum chemistry.
  • Chemical kinetics.
  • Surface chemistry.
  • Electrochemistry.
1299 questions
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Why are the noble metals inert?

I am wondering: The noble 'gases' are inert because they have closed shells and don't want to give that up. But the noble metals, such as Copper, Silver, Rhodium, Gold, don't seem to have this. For example, Rhodium has electron configuration…
Lagerbaer
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Why does the rate of a chemical reaction depend on partition functions according to the ratio $Q^\ddagger/Q$?

I'm trying to understand isotope effects on the rates of chemical reactions, which, surprisingly, can be very large in some cases. In treatments of this problem, I see a lot of expressions that involve a proportionality of the rate to the following…
user4552
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The AntiBonding Orbital with Shrinking Interatomic Distance

I guess this is more of a chemistry question, but whatever. I think it's interesting. Suppose you had two bare atomic nuclei. For concreteness, lets assume the nuclei are the same with atomic number $Z$. Lets bring in a single electron and focus…
ChickenGod
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How Do Bubbles in Sodas Know to Form?

Carbonated water is $H_2 0$ with $H_2 CO_3$ in it. $H_2 CO_3$, carbonic acid, decomposes into water and $CO_2$, carbon dioxide. When the cap is closed on a bottle of carbonated water, there is a certain amount of $CO_2$ in the top of the bottle,…
Ulthran
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What physical forces give rise to the peculiar bond angle of hydrogen peroxide?

In one of the Periodic Table videos, Prof. Poliakoff shows a model of a hydrogen peroxide molecule and claims that the H-O bonds will always be at right angles to each other. I have a rudimentary intuition for how molecules arrange themselves based…
Rag
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Why does NaCl (aq) conduct electricity but NaCl (s) does not?

Why does sodium choloride in its solid state not conduct electricity, but in its aqueous solution state it conducts electricity easily?
Ãlī Hãmzā
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Are valence electrons located solely in the s and p subshells?

Or are they in all subshells??
user3135
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Equations describing the liquifaction of gases

I would like to find out how much energy is required to liquify gases (oxygen or nitrogen, for example). What are some relevant equations? I'm curious whether creating small quantities of dry ice or cryogenic fluids is feasible at home. If James…
sourcenouveau
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What would happen if you compressed 7.2kg of sugar into a soda can?

The video game Team Fortress 2 contains a weapon called "Bonk! Atomic Punch" that renders the user invulnerable for 8 seconds when drunk. According to its release notes, "Bonk! contains several hundred times the daily recommended allowance of…
TheWreckersCompanion
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What are the factors effecting rate of adsorption?

It is well known that chromatography is based on the principle that different substances (mobile phase) get adsorbed at different rates/amount to the stationary phase. However, I can't don't get the mental picture of why substances get adsorbed…
tryst with freedom
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Obtain oxidation numbers from looking at electron configuration?

Suppose I know that Selenium has electron configuration $[Ar] 4s^2 3d^{10} 4p^4$. How can I use this information to then come to the conclusion that its possible oxidation states are 6, 4, 2, 1 and -2? I understand the 6: Give up all s electrons to…
Lagerbaer
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Why don't enzymes care about the direction of a reaction?

In Richard Feynman's lecture, he says, "In enzyme you see, does not care in which direction the reaction goes, for if it did it would violate one of the laws of physics." I don't really understand this, because in a reaction, when an enzyme is…
ComputerScienceLearner
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Atomic layer deposition applications?

What unexplored areas (known unknowns) are there in atomic layer deposition (ALD)? What unexplored applications of ALD are there? It seems like people use it a lot for coatings of either insulators or sometimes transparent conducting contacts. What…
Jennifer Tomlin
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Grains of salt and ionic bonds

It is widely known that sodium chloride (NaCl), as well as any other salt, is held together by ionic bonds. Na$^+$ ions are surrounded by Cl$^-$ ions and vice versa. What puzzles me is the fact that we can grind salt and store the grains together,…
GRB
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In osmosis, how does chemical potential ever balance out?

Chemical poential is modeled by the equation $\mu_i = \mu_{i,0} + RT\ln x_i$. If you have one side with some $x_i$ of NaCl and another side with pure water separated by a semipermeable membrane through which only water can pass, water will go…
notorious
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