Tag: reactions

Reversible Reactions, Equilibrium, and Le Chatelier's Principle

Reversible Reactions, Equilibrium, and Le Châtelier’s Principle

Reversible Reactions, Equilibrium, and Le Chatelier's Principle
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When you think of chemical reactions, you might think of them as irreversible, permanently changing one substance into another. While this is true in some cases, some chemical reactions are reversible, and we can take the products of the reaction and turn them back into the reactants. These reversible reactions can, under certain conditions, reach what we call ‘equilibrium’. Equilibrium can be a tricky concept to understand, but this graphic tries to make it a little clearer.

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Factors Affecting Rate of Reaction

Making Reactions Faster: Factors Affecting Rates of Reaction

Factors Affecting Rate of Reaction
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How different factors can affect how quickly a reaction happens is a common topic in the chemistry curriculum. This graphic serves as a convenient summary for teachers and students alike of what these different factors are, and how and why they affect the rate of a reaction. However, it’s not only of interest to those teaching or learning about chemistry; as we’ll see, knowledge of these factors can have some everyday applications too!

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Mole Day – Avogadro & The Mole

Infographic on the mole. One mole is the amount of substance that contains exactly 6.022 x 10^23 atoms, molecules or ions. This number is also known as Avogadro's number. Using moles makes it easier to talk about amounts of substances involved in reactions by relating the mass of a substance to its atomic or molecular mass. Amount of substance (moles) = mass (grams) divided by the mass of 1 mole (grams per mole). One mole contains a different mass for different substances.
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Today, 23rd October, is Mole Day – which might put you in mind of small, furry, burrowing animals. However, they don’t even seem to have a commemorative day of any kind; we’re actually talking about the mole in chemistry, a concept that makes it easier for us to talk about the amounts of substances involved in chemical reactions. This is a fundamental concept and one that all chemists utilise.

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