Digital skills in chemical education

Being able to calculate equilibrium concentrations is essential to many areas of science and technology—for example, in the formulation and dosing of pharmaceutical products. After a drug is ingested or injected, it is typically involved in several chemical equilibria that affect its ultimate concentration in the body system of interest. Knowledge of the quantitative aspects of these equilibria is required to compute a dosage amount that will solicit the desired therapeutic effect.
A more...

Standard solutions refer to solutions with a precisely known concentration or composition. A primary standard is a highly pure, high molar mass, stable substance that is entirely soluble in water, the most commonly used solvent in analytical chemistry. The primary standard solution can be used to standardize secondary standards, which are substances with known concentrations but are less pure and stable. Standard solutions are essential for achieving accurate and reliable results in analytical...

Equilibrium calculations for systems involving multiple equilibria are often complex. For example, to calculate the solubility of a sparingly soluble salt in an aqueous solution in the presence of a common ion, one must consider all the equilibria in this solution. Calculations for these systems can be complicated and tedious, so a systematic approach with a series of steps is often helpful. The process is detailed below.
The first step is to identify all the chemical reactions involved, The...

In an NMR sample, precise measurement of the absolute absorption frequencies of nuclei is difficult. A standard internal reference compound is added, and the frequency difference between the reference signal and sample signals is measured.
The internal reference compound generally used in NMR spectroscopy is tetramethylsilane (TMS). TMS is preferred because it is chemically inert, soluble in NMR solvents, and easily removable. Also, the highly shielded methyl protons in TMS yield an intense...

In healthcare, the chemical method of sterilization uses chemical sterilants to treat surgical instruments and medical supplies to help prevent the transmission of infectious pathogens to patients. Due to heat sensitivity, most medical supplies and equipment should not be exposed to high temperatures. These parts include rubber, plastic, glass, and other similar elements.
Using chemical sterilization rather than heat to clean out equipment is recommended. It eradicates and removes all bacteria,...