Questions from General Chemistry


Q: What is potential energy? What is kinetic energy? What do

What is potential energy? What is kinetic energy? What do we mean by the law of conservation of energy? What do scientists mean by work? Explain what scientists mean by a state function and give an ex...

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Q: What does temperature measure? Are the molecules in a beaker of

What does temperature measure? Are the molecules in a beaker of warm water moving at the same speed as the molecules in a beaker of cold water? Explain. What is heat? Is heat the same as temperature?...

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Q: When describing a reaction, a chemist might refer to the system

When describing a reaction, a chemist might refer to the system and the surroundings. Explain each of these terms. If a reaction is endothermic, does heat travel from the surroundings into the system,...

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Q: What is the study of energy and energy changes called? What

What is the study of energy and energy changes called? What is the “first law” of thermodynamics and what does it mean? What do scientists mean by the internal energy of a system? Is the internal ener...

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Q: How is the calorie defined? Is the thermodynamic calorie the same

How is the calorie defined? Is the thermodynamic calorie the same as the Calorie we are careful of when planning our diets? Although the calorie is our “working unit” of energy (based on its experimen...

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Q: This chemistry course may have been the first time you have encountered

This chemistry course may have been the first time you have encountered the method of dimensional analysis in problem solving. Explain the terms conversion factor and equivalence statement. Give an ev...

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Q: What is the enthalpy change for a process? Is enthalpy a

What is the enthalpy change for a process? Is enthalpy a state function? In what experimental apparatus are enthalpy changes measured?

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Q: Hess’s law is often confusing to students. Imagine you are talking

Hess’s law is often confusing to students. Imagine you are talking to a friend who has not taken any science courses. Using the reactions P4(s) + 6Cl2(g) / 4PCl3(g) (H = 22.44 * 103 kJ 4PCl5(g) / P4...

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Q: The first law of thermodynamics indicates that the total energy content of

The first law of thermodynamics indicates that the total energy content of the universe is constant. If this is true, why do we worry about “energy conservation”? What do we mean by the quality of ene...

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Q: What do petroleum and natural gas consist of? Indicate some petroleum

What do petroleum and natural gas consist of? Indicate some petroleum “fractions” and explain what they are used for. What does it mean to “crack” petroleum and why is this done? What was tetraethyl l...

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