Tag: chemistry

“An energy surface, potential,
For reaction info: essential. 
Endo/exoergicity
Is shown in simplicity
Through diagram self-referential.”

The April 10 limerick summarizes a common visual shorthand used in several chemistry applications: a potential energy surface.  Potential energy surfaces are graphical representations that show the energy of a chemical compound or reaction as a function of some independent variable.  Different types of surfaces can be drawn for different chemistry-related scenarios. Some can be quite complex, but the surface described in this limerick is a simple two-dimensional graph.     

“An energy surface, potential,/
For reaction info: essential.” 
For a chemical reaction, as described in this limerick, the potential energy surface is a two-dimensional graph that represents the energy involved as a function of “reaction coordinate,” which can generally be interpreted as “reaction progress.”  Organic chemists often use these diagrams in representing chemical mechanisms (step-by-step depictions of how molecules react) to show how molecules encounter one another and absorb or release energy over the course of a reaction step. A potential energy surface is a reliable, essential tool for communicating basic information about a chemical reaction.

“Endo/exoergicity/
Is shown in simplicity/
Through diagram self-referential.”
An endoergic reaction (also called an endergonic reaction) is a reaction that requires an input of energy (as heat, light, etc.) to proceed.  It would be shown on a potential energy diagram with the reactants at lower energy than the products.  An exoergic reaction (also called an exergonic reaction) is a reaction that releases energy as it proceeds.  It would be shown on a potential energy surface with the reactants at higher energy than the products. 

In both cases, one would interpret the endoergicity or exoergicity of the reaction by looking at the placement of these products and reactants relative to one another: the energy diagram is self-referential. Furthermore, once a reader is fluent in the diagrams’ conventions and terminology, the potential energy surfaces are visually rich and relatively simple, compared to many other ways of presenting quantitative data.    

“The gas laws according to Boyle,
Avogadro, and Charles embroil
P, V, n, and T– traits
Of the phase that inflates–
In equations o’er which students toil.”

I will backtrack a day with this entry, as I inadvertently skipped posting my essay on the 8 April 2019 limerick!  This poem addresses another common introductory chemistry topic: the phases of matter. General Chemistry courses typically examine properties of solids, liquids, and gases. This poem references the development of some key equations via which the gas phase, specifically, is described.         

“The gas laws according to Boyle,/
Avogadro, and Charles embroil/
P, V, n, and T– traits/ Of the phase that inflates–”
As a student, I found the names associated with introductory chemistry to often be intriguingly distracting: the history of chemistry is mostly confined to sidebars in General Chemistry textbooks, but the stories are fascinating.  

Several equations are named for scientists who worked on examining how physical properties of a gas sample are related; these are (Robert) Boyle’s Law, (Jacques) Charles’s Law, and (Amedeo) Avogadro’s Law.  The spark for this particular poem was a variation on the rules-of-cards phrase “according to Hoyle” with respect to Boyle’s name, specifically.           

Boyle’s Law states that as the pressure on a gas sample increases, its volume decreases, if amount and temperature are held constant.  Charles’s Law states that as the temperature on a gas sample increases, its volume increases, if pressure and amount are held constant.  Avogadro’s Law states that as the amount of a gas increases, its volume increases, if pressure and temperature are held constant.  

Pressure is represented with the variable P; volume, with V; amount, with n; and temperature, with T.  When linked together (“embroiled”), they comprehensively describe the properties of a gas, periphrastically described here as “the phase that inflates.” 

“In equations o’er which students toil.”  
The named laws listed above are typically combined into the Ideal Gas Law: PV = nRT, an equation that quantitatively (exactly) relates all four of a gas sample’s variables via the gas constant R.  

The last line of the limerick is simply a rueful acknowledgement that, despite the elegance of any equations involved, truly learning chemistry– or any discipline– is difficult work!      

“The ‘oil rig,’ a helpful mnemonic
For redox’s challenges chronic.
Mind errors, potential.
This note is essential:
View of loss/gain must be electron-ic.”

The 7 April 2019 limerick addresses another reaction classification topic, this time looking at “reduction-oxidation” chemistry. Reduction and oxidation are themselves names that correspond to specific processes; they always happen in tandem, so the chemical shorthand becomes “Red-Ox,” or “redox.” Redox is a term that can apply to a wide range of subclasses of reactions; combustion (from the 6 April 2019 limerick) is one of these.  

In particular, the poem clarifies the use of a common memory trick for describing redox processes. The discussion focuses on the most obvious type of redox reaction, a displacement reaction, to keep the discussion as straightforward as possible.

“The “oil rig,” a helpful mnemonic/
For redox’s challenges chronic.”
Redox reactions involve electron movement.  Because electrons are negatively charged, the elements to which and from which electrons flow experience a change in their own charges over the course of the reaction.  These can be challenging reactions to consider, as redox concepts can manifest themselves in several ways.    

In the simplified reaction below, the notation used for the reactants (left of the arrow) shows us that Element A starts out as a neutral metal and Element B starts out with a positive charge, in their reactant forms.  In their product forms (right of the arrow), Element A has a positive charge and Element B is a neutral metal. 

This is also called a displacement reaction because A “displaces” B in terms of forming a compound with C.  

A + BC → B + AC   

The “mnemonic” in question links the movement of electrons to the chemical vocabulary: “Oxidation Is Loss; Reduction Is Gain.”  This statement is abbreviated as “OIL RIG.”

In the reaction above, Element A is oxidized, losing electrons to go from neutral to positively charged; Element B is reduced; gaining electrons to go from positively charged to neutral.   

“Mind errors, potential./ This note is essential:/
View of loss/gain must be electron-ic.”
A common error with these reactions is viewing “loss” and “gain” in terms of the values of the charges on the elements, neglecting the fact that electrons are negatively charged.  (In the example above, the ERROR would be saying: A’s charge becomes more positive; thus, it “gains”; thus, it is reduced.)

The application of the “oil rig” mnemonic relies on considering loss/gain in terms of electrons.  

“A process denoted combustion
Results in methodic production:
H2O, CO2;
Common products ensue
From a fuel hydrocarbon’s consumption.”

As with the April 5 limerick, the 6 April 2019 limerick addresses another reaction class and how to easily identify it. This specific poem examines combustion reactions and the chemical formulas used to represent specific compounds involved therein.    

“A process denoted combustion/ Results in methodic production:”
This limerick outlines the class of reaction of interest, pointing out that we’ll be able to classify a reaction as a combustion reaction by looking at its characteristic reactants and products (its “methodic production”). The remainder of the poem defines these species more directly.      

“H2O, CO2;/ Common products ensue/
From a fuel hydrocarbon’s consumption.”  
This is the first limerick in my project to exploit chemical notation to obey the rhythmic rules of the poetic form! For the syllables to work here, the third line is read as “H two O, C O two.”  These abbreviations have specific meanings for chemists.

Notably, “H2O” and “CO2” are not formatted correctly, due to Twitter constraints (or at least my lack of knowledge of how to format subscripts and superscripts via that medium!); they should be properly written as H₂O and CO₂.  These are the chemical formulas for water and carbon dioxide, respectively. The formula for water tells us that each H₂O molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom; the formula for carbon dioxide tells us that each CO₂ molecule contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. 

Water and carbon dioxide are the characteristic products when a hydrocarbon fuel [a molecule consisting only of carbon and hydrogen, such as butane (C₄H₁₀) or propane (C₃H₈)] reacts with oxygen to undergo combustion.        

The overall pattern can be seen in the balanced reaction shown below, which represents the complete combustion of propane. 
C₃H₈ + 5 O₂ →  3 CO₂ + 4 H₂O

“Reactions with solid formation,
We classify precipitation:
Mix solutions (aq),
And the (s) formed anew
Will crash out to observer’s elation.”

The next few limericks address specific classes of chemical reactions and how to identify and interpret them: again, a common theme of many General Chemistry courses.  The first, from 5 April 2019, is a reaction type that figures heavily in both introductory chem courses and my interdisciplinary course, Chemistry in Art.   

“Reactions with solid formation,/ We classify precipitation:” 
Much like balancing reactions, another intro-level skill is identifying types of reactions; chemical reactions often have tell-tale reactants or products that allow their classification.  Reactions in different classes follow set patterns, so once we’ve done our classification, we can explore more interesting aspects of the pertinent chemistry.

For instance, a precipitation reaction involves the formation of a solid product called a precipitate; this product “falls” out of solution (parallelling the everyday definition of precipitation).  

“Mix solutions (aq),/ And the (s) formed anew/
Will crash out to observer’s elation.”
To identify a precipitation reaction, we look for a process with two identifying characteristics.  First, the reactants are aqueous solutions (compounds dissolved in water); they are designated as such by the (aq) abbreviation after their chemical formulas.  Second, one product is a solid, which is designated by the (s) abbreviation after its chemical formula. The final line of the poem notes that precipitation reactions are fun to watch, as the solid product “crashes out” of the solution.

Here’s a sample reaction, in which aqueous solutions of potassium chloride (KCl) and silver nitrate (AgNO₃) yield a precipitate of silver chloride (AgCl) and a side product of aqueous potassium nitrate (KNO₃); we can see the pattern described in lines 3-5 of this limerick:  
KCl (aq) + AgNO₃ (aq) → AgCl (s) + KNO₃ (aq)   

Precipitation reactions have implications for the interdisciplinary overlap of chemistry and art.  Silver chloride itself is light-sensitive and participates in reactions associated with black-and-white photography.  Some solid precipitates formed in other precipitation reactions are brightly colored and can be used as pigments in mixing and using paints.