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Chemistry / Re: What are chemistry's big unanswered questions?
« on: 08/06/2007 17:19:17 »cut chemist,
Thanks for your reply, and yes i would like some VERY hard questions about..very hard stuff, see im trying to find a question that my science teacher cant answer, he answerd my one about cold fusion, and how water is wet. so i need something very complicated and hard. it can be as complicated as you want as ill print it off and show him it. thanks
Ok, this is not probably as difficult as you're looking for, but It's undoubtly chemistry, and I don't know the answer, so if he answers he'll make me a favour:
How can you make pink (rose) crystals of Fe(NO3)3*9H2O?
The problem is that if you start from an acqueous solution of Fe3+ you don't get it, at least in my experience: Fe3+ seems to react irreversibly with water, unless in concentrated acid, but in this case, how can you get 9 water molecules for every Fe(NO3)3 molecule in the crystal?
I've never been able to make iron nitrate in that form.
Another strange thing: my Fe(NO3)3*9H2O crystals in their plastic container has changed with time (about 2 years) from rose to light violet. Why? (I have taken away just a very small amount of it, for experiments).
Thanks. ill ask him first thing monday morning. knowing him, he will probably know the answer.