• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Prelim Chem Thread (2 Viewers)

Snowflek

Active Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2016
Messages
207
Gender
Male
HSC
2017
Can someone help me and explain in details cause ive been explained by people so many times but im still confused.
A sample of fertilise contains 32.5g ammonium sulfate. What is the mass of nitrogen in this fertiliser?
So i found the mole of ammonium sulfate which is 0.2421417437
then this part is where im confused. People say times 0.2421417437 by 2.
So it requires 2 ammonium to 1 sulfate where people say times by 2. But what i dont understand is that wasnt the (NH4)2 already calculated from the beginning? From by multiplying it by 2 sounds like were getting double the mole of ammonium sulfate
 

ThreeSciences

Member
Joined
May 28, 2016
Messages
38
Gender
Male
HSC
2016
Can someone help me and explain in details cause ive been explained by people so many times but im still confused.
A sample of fertilise contains 32.5g ammonium sulfate. What is the mass of nitrogen in this fertiliser?
So i found the mole of ammonium sulfate which is 0.2421417437
then this part is where im confused. People say times 0.2421417437 by 2.
So it requires 2 ammonium to 1 sulfate where people say times by 2. But what i dont understand is that wasnt the (NH4)2 already calculated from the beginning? From by multiplying it by 2 sounds like were getting double the mole of ammonium sulfate
 

eyeseeyou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
4,125
Location
Space
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Someone please to me oxidation and reduction. I know OILRIG but I need specific examples with detailed explanation

Thanks
 

1008

Active Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
229
Gender
Male
HSC
2015
Someone please to me oxidation and reduction. I know OILRIG but I need specific examples with detailed explanation

Thanks
Oxidation and reduction aren't two separate reactions: they are 1 reaction, called a redox reaction. So, like in every chemical reaction, the atoms of different elements/compounds rearrange themselves and form new elements compounds.

This is done mainly by swapping electrons. Oxidation and reduction attempts to explain to us what really is going on when these compounds form and tries to justify why certain compounds were formed (and not others). E.g. in the dry cell:


The reason Zinc hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide are formed is because we know from the oxidation half equation at the anode that Zn reacts with the hydroxide ions to form zinc hydroxide, and releases 2 electrons in the process.

Now these electrons flow to the cathode, where they react with water and Magnesium (just realised there is an error in the photo, it is meant to be Mg not Mn) to form Magnesium hydroxide. The reason the electrons flow towards these compounds is because the reaction at the cathode is "reducing" (aka absorbing) all the electrons in the whole system due to the chemical reaction at the cathode, and so can be thought of as having a positive charge. Electrons have a negative charge and so are attracted towards anything positive. Overall, you can just write this reaction as one equation (refer to third equation in photo).

Although, as a general rule, metals tend to oxidise and donate electrons and non-metals tend to reduce and absorb electrons, this isn't always the case. But thank BOSTES, they provide you with the table of standard potentials present at the back of the periodic table they provide in the HSC (Hence Sien's suggestion). This table lists all the oxidation/reduction reactions relevant to the HSC course, so you won't have to memorise which elements oxidise and which reduce given a certain redox system.
 

eyeseeyou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
4,125
Location
Space
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Oxidation and reduction aren't two separate reactions: they are 1 reaction, called a redox reaction. So, like in every chemical reaction, the atoms of different elements/compounds rearrange themselves and form new elements compounds.

This is done mainly by swapping electrons. Oxidation and reduction attempts to explain to us what really is going on when these compounds form and tries to justify why certain compounds were formed (and not others). E.g. in the dry cell:


The reason Zinc hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide are formed is because we know from the oxidation half equation at the anode that Zn reacts with the hydroxide ions to form zinc hydroxide, and releases 2 electrons in the process.

Now these electrons flow to the cathode, where they react with water and Magnesium (just realised there is an error in the photo, it is meant to be Mg not Mn) to form Magnesium hydroxide. The reason the electrons flow towards these compounds is because the reaction at the cathode is "reducing" (aka absorbing) all the electrons in the whole system due to the chemical reaction at the cathode, and so can be thought of as having a positive charge. Electrons have a negative charge and so are attracted towards anything positive. Overall, you can just write this reaction as one equation (refer to third equation in photo).

Although, as a general rule, metals tend to oxidise and donate electrons and non-metals tend to reduce and absorb electrons, this isn't always the case. But thank BOSTES, they provide you with the table of standard potentials present at the back of the periodic table they provide in the HSC (Hence Sien's suggestion). This table lists all the oxidation/reduction reactions relevant to the HSC course, so you won't have to memorise which elements oxidise and which reduce given a certain redox system.
Cheers :)
 

eyeseeyou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
4,125
Location
Space
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Oxidation and reduction aren't two separate reactions: they are 1 reaction, called a redox reaction. So, like in every chemical reaction, the atoms of different elements/compounds rearrange themselves and form new elements compounds.

This is done mainly by swapping electrons. Oxidation and reduction attempts to explain to us what really is going on when these compounds form and tries to justify why certain compounds were formed (and not others). E.g. in the dry cell:


The reason Zinc hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide are formed is because we know from the oxidation half equation at the anode that Zn reacts with the hydroxide ions to form zinc hydroxide, and releases 2 electrons in the process.

Now these electrons flow to the cathode, where they react with water and Magnesium (just realised there is an error in the photo, it is meant to be Mg not Mn) to form Magnesium hydroxide. The reason the electrons flow towards these compounds is because the reaction at the cathode is "reducing" (aka absorbing) all the electrons in the whole system due to the chemical reaction at the cathode, and so can be thought of as having a positive charge. Electrons have a negative charge and so are attracted towards anything positive. Overall, you can just write this reaction as one equation (refer to third equation in photo).

Although, as a general rule, metals tend to oxidise and donate electrons and non-metals tend to reduce and absorb electrons, this isn't always the case. But thank BOSTES, they provide you with the table of standard potentials present at the back of the periodic table they provide in the HSC (Hence Sien's suggestion). This table lists all the oxidation/reduction reactions relevant to the HSC course, so you won't have to memorise which elements oxidise and which reduce given a certain redox system.
Why?
 

1008

Active Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
229
Gender
Male
HSC
2015
Think about it this way: the hydroxide ion has a negative charge (hence it has 1 excess electron). So two hydroxide ions would have a charge of -2 (2 extra electrons). When the 2 hydroxides bond with zinc (which has no extra electrons and so a charge of 0), zinc gives away 2 of its electrons and absorbs the two hydroxides instead, forming zinc hydroxide. The 2 electrons that zinc donates have now been released.
 
Last edited:

eyeseeyou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
4,125
Location
Space
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Think about it this way: the hydroxide ion has a negative charge (hence it has 1 excess electron). So two hydroxide ions would have a charge of -2 (2 extra electrons). When the 2 hydroxides bond with zinc (which has no extra electrons and so a charge of 0), zinc gives away 2 of its electrons and absorbs the two hydroxides instead, forming zinc hydroxide. The 2 electrons that zinc donates have now been released.
You are awesome, thanks so much :)
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top