ICE table and Molarity units

[Vivian Leung 1C]

Hi,

I was just wondering if the Molarity units in the ICE table have to be in mol/liter. For instance, if all units are in mmol/liter, you have to convert those to mol/liter before the values can be inserted into ICE table right? Or can you use mmol/liter in the ICE table just as long as all of your units are mmol/liter?

[Raashi Chaudhari 3B]

Hi!
When putting in the concentrations into the ICE table, I prefer to make everything into mol/L so that I know I don't need to worry about units later on. I think it is easier if you use mol/L and keep in mind that 1mmol=10^-3 mol.
I hope this helped!

[Immi Lee - 1D]

The units don't necessarily have to be mol/L in order to use an ICE table (you can use ICE tables to calculate pressure) as long as all the values in the table have the same units. Unless the problem states otherwise, I agree with the person above as with starting with mol/L to begin with, you wouldn't have to worry about units later on in the problem.

[Eric Cruz 2G]

hi! you need mol/L to find the accurately find the K constant. Therefore, you can convert the nmols of the initial concentration or keep the nmol of the initial concentration to find the equilibirum concentration and then convert it to mol/L. Simply put, convert your concentrations to mol/L before putting it in the K constant equation.

[manisha_joseph_1H]

Hi! Just as stated above, I believe that the molarity units in the ICE table do not have to be mol/L. As long as all the units in the ICE table are the same, you will be able to carry out your calculation. Just remember to be aware of what units your final answer needs to be in!

[Kayla Booker 1F]

I don’t think they have to be in mol/L, they just all have to have the same units but I prefer to use mol/L

[Lucy Weaver 1K]

I think that if it asks for the final concentration then it is assuming your final answer must be in mol/L, but if it asks for the final molar concentration I think keeping it in moles is fine. I usually always convert thought if it gives me a measurement for volume

[Hana Sigsbee 3B]

Hi, I would use mol/L just to have consistency and prevent any little mistakes later on.

[Annie Liang 3D]

Using mmol/liter for the ICE box is completely fine as long as all the units are in mmol/liter. You can also use the mmol/liter values to calculate K, and you should get the correct equilibrium constant value. However, it may get confusing later on if the question asks for an answer in mol/liter, so it might be easier to just convert the mmol/liter values into mol/liter.

[Sedge Greenlee]

The Icebox is just a helpful tool for organizing your work, using any units is completely fine, however, as others have said, it might be best to convert everything to mol/L beforehand to simplify the process later on.

[Inderpal Singh 2L]

I personally convert everything to mol/L to simplify and organize the whole process better!

[George Hernandez 3I]

One of the sapling question feedbacks for week 1 said that you could even use moles for the ice box. It really doesn't matter but for simplicity's sake, if you can do everything in mol/liter, that would probably be best to save a lot of headaches :)

[Jason_John_2F]

i think you can use mmol/ liter as long as you know the units that will come out but I think it benefits you to just use mol/liter to keep everything organized

[Muskaan Abdul-Sattar]

I think starting with molarity is just the easiest thing to do so that you arent concerned with units later on.

[Gian Boco 2G]

As said above, I think using molarity (mol/L) is the most convenient that volume is already taken care of. However, it can be used with moles and other units of pressure as long as the units throughout the table are consistent.

[Talia Dini - 3I]

Hi! I believe that you should be fine as long as all the numbers in the ICE table have the same units. However, I believe that it is more convenient if all the units are in mol/L so that you do not have to worry about units later on.

[Chance Herbert 3A]

As long as you are consistent with units throughout your ice table you should be fine! I prefer to convert (if needed) to mol/L at the beginning to ensure that I do not forget to do so at the end!

[Vivian Leung 1C]

Thank you everyone!

[Jason Knight - 1F]

I recommend turning units into mol/L so there isn't any confusion or accidental miscalculations when needed. It is useful to note that 1mmol = 1E-3mol. Misplacing units can be a significant mistake when calculating, and I find it better to convert all units at the beginning so it is one less concern when problem solving.