Overview

The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.
Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...

Overview

Overview

The potential of hydrogen (pH) is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a water-based solution determined by the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+). In one liter of pure water at neutral pH, there are 1×10−7 moles of hydronium ions. However, the extensive range of hydronium ion concentrations present in water-based solutions makes measuring pH in moles cumbersome. Therefore, a pH scale was developed to convert moles of hydronium ions into the negative logarithm of the hydronium...

Molecules have characteristic shapes that are crucial for their function. The arrangement of various electron groups around the central atom dictates their molecular geometry. Electron pairs in the valence shell of a central atom will adopt an arrangement that minimizes repulsions between the electron pairs by maximizing the distance between them. The valence electrons form either bonding pairs, located primarily between bonded atoms, or lone pairs.
Two regions of electron density in a diatomic...