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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 19
(2014) pp 182-186
Use of WolframAlpha in Equilibrium Calculations
David A. Cleary
Department of Chemistry, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA99258, cleary@gonzaga.edu
Received February 25, 2014. Accepted May 13, 2014.
Published: 6 June 2014
Abstract. A quantitative treatment of chemical equilibrium is presented where the mathematical manipulations and corresponding graphs are processed with the on-line program WolframAlpha. The power, flexibility, and ease of use of WolframAlpha are demonstrated. No coding skills are required, and the program accepts a variety of input styles. The particular equilibrium featured, the ammonia equilibrium, provides a quantitative demonstration of Le Châtelier’s principle, the law of mass action, and the Gibbs free energy of mixing.
Key Words: Computers in Chemistry; physical chemistry; equilibrium
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: cleary@gonzaga.edu)
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