Timmehhh

Chemistry is just the physics of the outer electrons! I think of chemistry as applied physics, both are just as important. What good is physics if you can't apply it? But where would chemistry be without physics? All that molecular characterization and such that is possible thanks to scientific equipment (e.g. spectroscopy, x-ray techniques, force/electron microscopes), possible only due to our understanding of physics (light, molecular forces, etc). The ability to perform these experiments and analysis are fundamental to our understanding of molecular interactions which define chemistry. Physics is to chemistry what chemistry is to biology. The physiological process in a biological system are all driven by chemical reactions, which can all be studied by our understanding of chemistry.

You can start reading text books. There are some really good ones that start off with the basics and go into great detail, but they usually cost >$100 new. If you dont understand something, read it again. That's how I did well in chemistry at school. If you still dont understand, search via Google. Google searching is actually something of a skill you develop. It really comes down to knowing what you need to search for. So do it, enahance your Google-fu abilities! And then if you still don't understand, ask us here. I believe there are also many videos on youtube that i think would be a good place to start. Sorry I dont have any links, but I'm a bit busy to search for resources at the moment, hopefully someone else can help with that.

A rotary evaporator. And yes, under vacuum means reduce pressure (i.e. below atmospheric pressure: < 101 kPa) You can attach a round bottom flask containing your solution. The device applies a vacuum and allows you to lower the rotating flask into a water bath which you can use to heat your solution and speed the process. You can also adjust the speed with which the flask is rotated. A condensor allows collection of solvent in another round bottom flask. This must be emptied appropriately after each use. Note that different solvents require different pressures. For example water requires a much lower pressure than volatile organics. Some devices will have preset values for different solvents. If you are unsure you should start off with higher pressures before gradually reducing pressure to ensure you dont rapidly boil you solution. The process can take some time depending on the volume you need to evaporate.

Hi all Context: I have fit some data to a function using excel solver to minimise the error squares (sum of squares method). Question: How I do I determine an appropriate error given experimental error as well as goodness of fit? I know i can calculate an error due to the goodness of fit directly from the sum of squares: σ2 = ∑(yexperimental - f(x))/(N - 1) so: ycalculated = f(x) ± σ But if my experimental data has an error (for example, reading temperature off a thermometer with an error of ±0.05, such that each value of yexperimental has an error of 0.05) how do I account for this error in σ (if necessary)? I will be using these values in further calculations, and know how to propagate errors in such calculations, but I first need an error associated with my function that ideally accounts for experimental error as well as goodness of fit.