Chemistry help: solutions, concentrations, and molarity

[andrewas]

Originally posted by Davros: So that's interesting - the American system of weights and measures is not used when working in chemical terms like Molarity - so you get a little exposure to the metric system of grams and litres - kewl

Just try and imagine doing molarity calculations in ounces & pints. That would *hurt* -a whole extra set of conversion numbers to remember.

[B_part]

I just can't understand why you stick to that stupid measurement system: you need a calculator each time you need to change unit... Metric is really much better, you need only move a point... 1 meter = 10decimeters = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeters = 10^-3 kilometers... try that with miles, feet and inches!

[Gammit]

Originally posted by Davros: So that's interesting - the American system of weights and measures is not used when working in chemical terms like Molarity - so you get a little exposure to the metric system of grams and litres - kewl

Yep, to keep the scientific language as universal as possible, all American scientists use the metric system. Actually, this is done by near every scientist in the world to keep things easier to understand for all. In fact, the elemental letters are universal as well. I've seen chinese laboratories with jars on the shelf that say:

(something in chinese)
CH3OH

pretty neat.

[Gammit]

Originally posted by B_part: I just can't understand why you stick to that stupid measurement system: you need a calculator each time you need to change unit... Metric is really much better, you need only move a point... 1 meter = 10decimeters = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeters = 10^-3 kilometers... try that with miles, feet and inches!

We (American Scientists) don't understand it either. (: Actually, like turning a very large machine, it takes a looooooong time to alter the way an entire country (and a large one at that) measures. Some Americans, like myself, use both:

Metric for temperature and volume

English for distance, mass, speed

[Davros]

Originally posted by Gammit: quote: Originally posted by Davros: So that's interesting - the American system of weights and measures is not used when working in chemical terms like Molarity - so you get a little exposure to the metric system of grams and litres - kewl

Yep, to keep the scientific language as universal as possible, all American scientists use the metric system. Actually, this is done by near every scientist in the world to keep things easier to understand for all. In fact, the elemental letters are universal as well. I've seen chinese laboratories with jars on the shelf that say:

(something in chinese)
CH3OH

pretty neat.[/QUOTE]The same elemental letters - YES - the same elemental spellling - NOPE

(just my usual rant about why your periodoc table has Aluminum, whereas the rest of the world has Aluminium ).

I work for an American multi-national, which essentially has an Australian and Atlantic division. I get to do the occasional technical review of plants in the Atlantic division, which plunges me from kilolitres per hour, kilowatts, deg C straight into the world of US gallons per minute, BTU's, deg F. Such is the life of the Chemical Engineer

[Gammit]

Very true, Davros. I did a double take the first time I saw things like "aluminium." (: On another note, my older brother is a chemical engineering professor! Very cool you all are, but what makes you guys tick, is beyond me. (:

[Davros]

Originally posted by Gammit: Very true, Davros. I did a double take the first time I saw things like "aluminium." (: On another note, my older brother is a chemical engineering professor! Very cool you all are, but what makes you guys tick, is beyond me. (:

What makes Chemical Engineers tick - the generic basic is the three A's :
1) A problem to be solved
2) Alcohol
3) An impossible deadline

Other than that :
1) Fantasy novels
2) CRPG's
3) The Internet