Category: Chemistry Questions

Iron and steel are the two most common materials that are often used in the manufacturing industry. They are generally used to make an extensive range of components and products.

While both the materials look somewhat similar, both are unique materials with their own respective qualities, characteristics, and properties.

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Let us understand the difference between both the materials but before that let us start with their definitions.

 

What is iron?

Iron is a ductile and lustrous metal having atomic number 26. Iron has a chrome-colored appearance reflecting a significant amount of light. It is also a ferromagnetic metal that means that it is magnetic and attracts other ferromagnetic metals.

Pure iron is generally silvery-white, cut through using a knife, and easy to work with. It can be hammered into the sheets and then drawn into wires. Despite so many surprising properties, iron still conducts electricity and heat like other metals and still can be magnetized.

 

What is steel?

Steel is basically a ferrous alloy comprising carbon and iron. Ample people assume that steel is metal but this is not necessarily true as it exhibits similar properties to metals but is technically classified as an alloy.

Steel has a lower carbon content than wrought or cast iron. It features several other elements to give it its properties.

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Differences between Iron and steel

Although both the materials begin with the same base compounds, post-production they transform into unique materials.

• Durability

Unlike iron, steel offers better durability and can withstand immense force, elements of weather, and heat.

• Corrosion

Corrosion is caused due to chemical oxidation and iron is susceptible to oxidation. Iron leads to corrosion and rust. While talking about steel it also gets affected by the water. Besides this, steel is basically a non-porous alloy that naturally resists corrosion.

• Versatility

Steel is considered an incredibly versatile material. It is well known for its flexibility and creativity and can be shaped, bent according to the requirement of any project and the best part is it can be reshaped without compromising on functionality.

While talking about iron, the versatility increases when mixed with some alloy like carbon.

 

Bottom Line!

The key difference between steel and iron is that their formal form is metal while the latter is an alloy. But both the metals are used in ample similar applications including the construction of railways, roads, buildings, utensils, and other appliances.

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Atoms are generally made of extremely tiny particles known as neutrons, electrons, and protons. The neutrons and protons are present in the center of the atom that makes up the nucleus.

A proton contains a positive charge, whereas electrons are negatively charged. However, the charge on both electrons and protons is the same but opposite.

Before moving further, let us get acquainted with the definition of all three terms.

 

• Proton

Protons are positively charged subatomic particles that form the part of a nucleus of an atom. It also determines the atomic number of an element and weighs one amu.

• Neutron

Neutrons are the no charged subatomic particles forming the part of the nucleus of an atom. Its mass is equal to the mass of a proton and weighs one amu.

• Electron
  

Electrons are negatively charged particles surrounded by the nucleus. These weigh 0 amu.

Essential about protons, electrons, and neutrons

Particle	Symbol	Charge	Mass
Electron	e–	-1	0.0005486 amu
Proton	p+	+1	1.007276 amu
Neutron	n0	0	1.008665 amu

 

As it is known that Protons carry +1 charge

Electrons carry a -1 charge

 

And the overall charge on an atom is 0

So, therefore, there must be an equal number of electrons and protons in an atom so that the charges cancel out.

 

Therefore if we take the case of Chlorine,

 

Calculating the number of neutrons, protons, and electrons in a Chlorine atom

 

The atomic number of Chlorine is 17

This indicates that each chlorine atom contains 17 protons and must also have 17 electrons.

 

An atom’s nucleus contains neutrons and protons. A nucleus is a primary contributor to the atom’s mass which means that the mass number can identify the number of neutrons and protons present in an atom.

 

Each neutron and proton contains a relative mass of 1 unit.

 

Therefore to the number of neutrons, we can subtract the number of protons from the atomic mass number.

 

Number of neutrons in Chlorine = Atomic mass number of Chlorine – Number of Protons

i.e., Number of neutrons = 35-17

Therefore, the number of neutrons in Chlorine= 18

 

Now that we know the number of protons in Chlorine = 17

Number of neutrons in Chlorine = 18

 

Let us check out the electrons

As it was said earlier, if Chlorine has 17 protons, it needs to have the same number of electrons.

 

Taking it that way,

Number of electrons = 17 + 1

 

Now, you must be thinking about why one is added here; well, it is because it has one negative charge that means the electron gain.

 

Therefore, the number of electrons = 18.

 

Conclusion

 

After calculating the protons, electrons, and neutrons, we have finally come to conclusive values of all. This includes

 

• Number of Protons = 17
• Number of Neutrons = 18
• & Number of electrons = 18

 

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A mole is defined as a substance’s mass that comprises an equal quantity of basic units. The unit of the mole is denoted by mol.

 

One mole of any substance is typically equal to the value of Avogadro Number, i.e., 6.023 X 10²³

Coming to calculating the moles in chemistry, let us take an example to get a clear idea.

 

Number of moles = Mass of a substance / Mass of one mole

For instance

 

Determine the number of moles in 95 grams of MnO₂

 

Given that, mass of MnO₂ = 95 g

 

And the Mass of one mole MnO₂ = 86.94 g

 

The number of moles can be calculated as

 

The number of moles = Mass of a substance/ Mass of one mole

 

Putting the values,

 

Therefore, Number of moles = 95/ 86.94 = 1.092 mol

 

 

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Balancing a chemical equation includes the addition of stoichiometric coefficients to products and reactants. The balancing of chemical equations is essential as a chemical equation must obey the law of constant proportions and the law of mass conversation. Balancing an equation refers to the same number of atoms of each element that must exist on both the reactant and the product side of an equation.

If you have an unbalanced equation, the chemical equation must be balanced, and for this, the balancing methods must be followed.

A chemical equation refers to a chemical reactions’ symbolic representation where their respective chemical formulas denote the products and reactants.

For instance,

Let us take a chemical equation,

2H₂ + O₂ ————-> 2H₂O

Here in this reaction, the left-hand side is the reactant side, and the right-hand side is the product one.

Stoichiometric Coefficient

A stoichiometric coefficient describes a chemical species’ total number of molecules which take part in the chemical reaction. Like in the above equation, the stoichiometric coefficient of H₂ and H₂O is 2, whereas O₂ is 1.

Balancing the equation!

To balance an equation, follow the step-by-step procedure, and you will never feel any complications in balancing the equation.

 

STEP 1

The chemical equation is

C₃H₈ + O₂ ———–> CO₂ + H₂O

Now that the equation is unbalanced, we need to balance it.

 

STEP 2

The total number of each element’s atoms on the product and reactant side need to be compared. 

Reactant side                                                         Product Side

3Carbon atoms from C₃H₈                                   1 Carbon atom from CO₂

8 Hydrogen atoms from C₃H₈                              2 Hydrogen atoms from H₂O

2 Oxygen atoms from O₂                                      3 Oxygen atoms, 1 from H₂O and 2 from CO₂

Now that the number of atoms is compared, perform step 3

 

STEP 3

Here, the stoichiometric coefficients are added to the molecules comprising an element with a different number of atoms in both the reactant and product side. The stoichiometric coefficients must balance the number of atoms on each side.

C₃H₈ + O₂ ———–> 3CO₂ + H₂O

Reactant Side                                                        Product Side

3 Carbon atoms from C₃H₈                                   3 Carbon atoms from CO₂

8 Hydrogen atoms from C₃H₈                                2 Hydrogen atoms from H₂O

2 Oxygen atoms from O₂                                      7 Oxygen atoms, 1 from H₂O and 6 from CO₂

The Carbon atoms are equal now.

 

STEP 4 

The above step must be repeated until the reactant, and product side’s total number of atoms becomes equal for each element.

C₃H₈ + O₂ —–> 3CO₂ + 4H₂O

Reactant Side                                                        Product Side

3 Carbon atoms from C₃H₈                                  3 Carbon atoms from CO₂

8 Hydrogen atoms from C₃H₈                              8 Hydrogen atoms from H₂O

2 Oxygen atoms from O₂                                    10 Oxygen atoms, 4 from H₂O, and 6 from CO₂

Now the Hydrogen atoms are also balanced.

 

STEP 5

Balancing the Oxygen atoms

C₃H₈ + 5O₂ ——–> 3CO₂ + 4H₂O

Reactant Side                                                        Product Side

3 Carbon atoms from C₃H₈                                   3 Carbon atoms from CO₂

8 Hydrogen atoms from C₃H₈                              8 Hydrogen atoms from H₂O

10 Oxygen atoms from O₂                                   10 Oxygen atoms, 4 from H₂O, and 6 from CO₂

Oxygen atoms are also balanced.

 

STEP 6

Now that all the individual elements are balanced, you just need to write down the final equation and compare it all once again.

C₃H₈ + 5O₂ ———-> 3CO₂ + 4H₂O

All the elements are equal. So, this is your final balanced equation.

 

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An atom is defined as the smallest unit of matter that retains an element’s all chemical properties. Atoms combine to form molecules that interact for the further formation of solids, liquids, and gases. For instance, if we talk about water, it comprises oxygen and hydrogen atoms that combine to form water molecules.

Atomic Particles

Atoms are composed of three basic particles, including neutrons, protons and electrons. The nucleus of the atoms present at the center contains the positively charged particles known as protons and no charged particles known as neutrons.

The outermost region of an atom is an electron shell that contains the electrons that are negatively charged. Atoms generally have different properties based on the number of fundamental particles and arrangements.

Structure of an atom

The atomic structure refers to the constitution of the nucleus and the electron’s arrangement around it. The structure of an atom is made up of electrons, neutrons, and protons.

The neutrons and protons make up the nucleus of an atom surrounded by electrons belonging to the atom. An element’s atomic number describes the total number of protons present in its nucleus.

Neutral atoms contain an equal number of electrons and protons. Conversely, atoms may lose or gain electrons to increase their stability or complete their octet, and the resulting charged entity is known as an ion.

The atoms of diverse elements have different atomic structures as they comprise a dissimilar number of electrons and protons. And this is the reason why different elements have unique characteristics.

Rutherford’s Structure of Atom

Rutherford proposed his own structure of the atom that includes the following.

• The atomic structure is spherical.
• The nucleus is present at the center of an atom, where most of the mass and charge are concentrated.
• Electrons revolve around the nucleus in a circular orbit identical to the way planets orbit the sun.

How is the mass of an atom calculated?

The atom’s mass is calculated by adding the number of protons with the total number of neutrons.

Mass of an atom = Total number of protons + Total number of neutrons

How is the charge of an atom calculated?

The charge of an atom is determined by the total number of electrons it loses or gains to complete its octet.

For instance, let us consider Oxygen.

Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, and therefore the number of electrons in an Oxygen or “O” atom is also 8.

Thus, the Oxygen’s electronic configuration will be:

K=2

L=6

Where L is the outermost shell that has 6 electrons, that means the O atoms need two more electrons to complete their octet. It can also try to give away the 6 electrons in its outermost shell to complete the duplet, but that clearly requires more energy, which is why it gains 2 electrons instead of giving away 6.

When the O atom gains 2 electrons, it has two more electrons than the protons, and therefore, Oxygen has a charge of O^2-.

 

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Most wires we use daily are made of copper. But have you ever thought of “why”? Well, because copper is also a metal and metals are the good conductors of electricity.

Metals have movable electrically charged particles called electrons. And whenever an electric charge is applied to it, the electrons move and also allow electricity to pass through.

How are metals and electricity associated?

As far as the association between metals and electricity is concerned, the electrons in the metals permit the electricity to move between atoms. Pure metals provide the best conductivity, whereas the presence of impurities in the metal can restrict the electron’s flow.

How do metals conduct electricity?

Metallic bonds form a strongly packed lattice structure of positive ions with delocalized electrons. As these electrons are delocalized, they can freely move within a metal structure whenever an electrical current is applied.

Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity as they have unfilled space in their valence energy band. In an electric field’s absence, the conduction electrons travel in the entire direction at high velocities.

So even at the coldest temperatures, say at absolute zero temperature, the conduction electrons can still travel. Whenever an electric field is applied, a slighter imbalance gets generated and mobile electrons flow. The reason why the field can accelerate the electrons in this band is due to the plenty of nearby unfilled states present in the band.

Why do metals conduct electricity?

Metals conduct electricity because of the electrically charged electrons or particles. The metal’s atoms usually consist of valence electrons that are present in the atom’s outer shell and can also freely move about. And these valence electrons transmit heat and electricity.

Whenever the electricity is applied to the metals, these valence electrons get the threshold energy which is the energy required by an electron to move off from its regular orbit. Therefore, these electrons then travel through the lattice, which forms the metal’s physical structure. Under the electric field, these electrons usually move like billiard balls knocking against each other and therefore passing the charge as they move.

Metals can conduct the electricity in maximum amount when there is no resistance. Therefore, pure metals like copper, gold, and silver are often considered the best conductors of electricity.

After getting familiar with the popular pure metals, comes an essential to consider that do all the metals conduct electricity?

Most metals conduct electricity, but the metal’s electrical conductivity usually depends on several factors, including the impurities, temperature, crystal structure, frequency, phases, and electromagnetic fields.

However, there exists a list of metals in the order from most conducive to the least conductive metals. The metals including silver, copper, gold, aluminum, zinc, nickel, brass, bronze, iron, platinum, carbon steel, lead, and stainless steel are in the most to least conductive order, respectively.