8 Short Expositions on Chemistry

1. When calculating Ksp of strong acids and strong bases, approximation and/or omission of terms is necessary. This is because Ksp being a ratio of concentrations, concentration of a denominator term (strong acid that is still in HA form) is virtually zero, hence Ksp values of 10^30 or simply "very large".

2. In beta decay, an electron or proton appears "as a matter of bookkeeping", meaning that prior to the decay there is absolutely no electron or proton inside the nucleus in any sense of the term. Do not think of pulling a marble out of a bag. There is no marble until mathematics dictates there must be "in order" to conserve charge and mass-energy balance. This is a common but fascinating phenomenon in small-scale physics/chemistry where reality appears to conform to "expectation of logic", not logic being a method of describing a "ready-made" natural phenomenon. Beta decay only makes sense in light of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, and even then only in terms of rationalizing electron/positron appearance "out" of the nucleus. The explanation being that there is very very little probability of the electron being found in or extremely close to the nucleus, and if it is, uncertainty dictates that it must have a very large velocity. Given this excessive velocity (and therefore energy), it immediately escapes the nucleic region, as observed.

3. Relatively new mathematical fields that have found surprising application in chemistry include, in no particular order: group theory, topology, graph theory.

4. It is a guiding principle in research that a new theory may replace or supplement another in almost any subfield and still have a possibility of being accurate. An exception to this rule is thermodynamics. If a theory conflicts with established thermodynamic principles, it is guaranteed to be wrong.

5. In weak acid solution most solute particles do not induce acidity, they are effectively "irrelevant" as far as acid-base behavior. (Though not irrelevant in terms of colligative and other physio-chemical properties).

6. Except for the hydrogen atom, fully quantum treatments of electrons and orbitals around atoms have not yet yielded complete solutions. Something, such as spin-orbit or spin-spin coupling, must be guessed or approximated.

7. Upon formation, proteins do not fold into proper conformation by random mechanical motion that eventually "gets it right". Instead, they come to proper conformation by falling through an energy well. In physical terms, this "well" is formed by combined vibration and rotation (thermal) movement and electron orbital interaction (van-der-Waals). The "well" is formed since there are fewer conformations corresponding to lower energy levels (gong further down the well). A "bottom" is formed by a single lowest energy state corresponding to the most thermodynamically stable arrangement of atoms.

It is important to note that the lowest energy state is not always reached due to thermal energy allowing a significant probability of being in a non-lowest energy state.

8. The classically taught three states of matter, like almost all other first-level chemistry material, is either a lie or a rough approximation. For instance, there are not only "exotic" phases, but also those that can be best described as "mixed". A great example of this is softening of heated plastic until it melts. While there is an admittedly well-defined melting point, soft heated plastic can "flow", especially if much time is available for observation. This flow violates the traditional rule of "constant volume if given constant mass" in relation to what defines a solid. Obviously differences in density can occur throughout sample volume. Note this is different from uniform density change in a sample, such as that which occurs in water upon heating. Differential density profiles, and therefore volume profiles, violate taught definitions of solid-state characteristics.

A secondary note about three-phase mentality is the existence of definitely unique states of matter. Bose-Einstein condensates have very unique properties due to the singularly important effects of quantum physics that is manifest only near absolute zero. In an "ironic" yet cliche classification, Bose-Einstein matter is a hot topic of research and investigation. Speaking of hot, this is the temperature domain of plasma. Although distinct from gas in physical properties, it at first glance behaves similarly to gas if there is no electric or magnetic fields. This is not a treatise on plasma dynamics, so there is little that can be said without going off-topic.

Lastly, it is a point of interest to note that while rare on earth, plasma is the primary state of matter in the universe as a whole per stars being composed of heated and gravitationally contained hydrogen and helium plasma.