Importance of the State of Molecules
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Importance of the State of Molecules
Is it important to include the state (solid/liquid/gas) when writing and balancing reactions? Will we be penalized if they are left off on a test? How does the state of a molecule affect the reaction?
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Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
I don't know how the reaction is impacted, but my TA said that you should get in the habit of doing it because it'll be important in the future. So, I'm assuming that it's important to do on tests as well.
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Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
I asked this question in a Step up session today and the UA told me that in most problems where we have to write chemical equations, the state will be explicitly given. But if it is not just try your best to guess because it may be worth a very small amount of points
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Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
The state will usually be given to you in the problem (ex: 25ml of precipitate means solid, NaOH dissolved in water means aqueous). When we do acids/bases and solubility equilibria especially, you'll become familiar with which compounds dissociate in water (nitrates, acetates, compounds with group 1 elements, sulfates, etc.) and which don't (most carbonates and phosphates, etc), so that'll help you distinguish between the states better. For now, just use what's given in the problem.
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Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
Doesn't hurt to write it down because its just additional helpful information!
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Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
Also, clarifying the state of molecules can be important for molecules like water, that can exist in multiple forms.
Re: Importance of the State of Molecules
Does anyone have a video they think is a good reference for this topic?
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