Chemistry indeed was my fave in my early days of college. There was a lot new to learn and experience every time we did a practical back in those old labs. We learned the difference between acids and bases, what is titration, what is redox titration, what are compounds, its equations, calculations and so on. Every solution and every theory seems never-ending in the books of chem! There is always a room for some mix ‘n’ match, mumbo-jumbo of chemicals and excogitations of unfathomable possibilities. With that conception let’s see further the definition of redox titration.

Defining Redox Titration
Two things in a redox titration is essential to help define the word alone. One is the titrant and the other is substance participating in the reaction. This two things are formerly important to commence a reaction. Well there are other components equally important as well, but they are introduced when the reaction just begins. Technically, redox titration is also called an oxidation-reduction titration. This means that the redox titration is in between titrant and an analyst. Determining process of a redox titration is done by using a potentiometer and or a redox indicator.

The process is too simple for any sort of insurrection to come up. It’s the titration of an oxidizing agent by a reducing agent and contrariwise. In general there are various types of redox titration where in there compulsorily has to be a solution passing through a reducing agent. In most of the cases its starch is used as an indicator. There in a blue starch-iodine composite is formed only when there is a presence of an excess amount of iodine. This is one of the useful redox indicator stating the termination of the chemical reaction. Read the rest of this entry »

In a subject like chemistry, in which you study hundreds of chemical compounds, there is a need for classification, based on their inherent characteristics. This classification makes it easier to study the similarities and differences between them. One such broad classification criteria for chemical compounds is differentiating them into acids and bases. This article focuses on explaining what are weak acids in particular.

What are Acids?

Of the many characteristics which mark the nature of any chemical, the most important is its acidic or basic nature, as it decides the way in which that chemical will react with other substances. Before we talk about what are weak acids, it’s essential that you know what are acids and how are acids identified. As chemistry has advanced in its theoretical foundation, the definition of what is an acid, has evolved with time. Acids were defined to be compounds that release hydrogen ions when dissolved in water.

They could also be defined as chemicals that release protons in a water solution, or act as proton donors. More generally, acids are chemical compounds which are typified by their preference to accept an electron pair from reacting substances. When any chemical compound satisfies this condition, it’s known as a Lewis acid.

How are acids identified? There are several ways of determining whether a specific compound is an acid or base. One of the simplest ways of differentiating a substance as an acid is to run the litmus test. In acids, a blue litmus will turn red. Another way of determining whether a substance is acidic or basic, is to measure its pH. If the pH value is less than 7, it’s an acid. Read the rest of this entry »

The nature of any substance and its peculiar set of properties can be attributed to its molecular structure. Ergo, to study the substance or chemical compound, you must first know the properties of the molecule. A property of any molecule which has a substantial impact on the macroscopic behavior of the substance is its ‘polar’ or ‘non-polar’ nature. The polarity of a molecule is dependent on a lot of factors, which need to be considered in totality. This Buzzle article is a short tutorial on how to determine the polarity of any molecule. Before we move ahead and get into an actual discussion about how to go about it, let me define what is meant by the polarity of a molecule.

What is a Polar or Non-Polar Molecule?
Polarity is created within a molecule, because of unequal sharing of electrons between atoms. This unequal sharing results into a net dipole moment for the molecule. So a polar molecule is one which has a net dipole moment because of unequal sharing of electrons.

A non-polar molecule, on the other hand, is one which has no net dipole moment, mostly due to equal sharing of electrons among the chemical species and has a symmetrical structure. Let me talk about the factors which decide whether a molecule will be polar or non-polar, before outlining a procedure for determining polar nature of any molecule.

What Determines Polarity of a Molecule?
One of the prime factors which determines polarity of a molecule is the difference in electronegativities of the atomic species, which are part of the molecule. The more the difference, more unequal is the electron sharing, resulting into a highly polar molecule. Other than this prime factor, the symmetry of the molecule, the total number of atoms, total number of identical atoms around the central atom, number of lone pairs of electrons and overall shape of the molecule will decide whether it’s polar or non-polar. Read the rest of this entry »