Nitrogen vs Air in Car Tyres

The tread on my car tyres had worn down, so I popped into my local tyre retailer to buy 4 new tyres.

"We can inflate your new tyres with air, or, for an extra $5 per tyre we can fill them with nitrogen gas", the sales person told me, " Nitrogen gas doesn't react with tyre and rim material so your tyres will last longer, it will help maintain the pressure in your tyres so you won't need to check your tyre pressure as often, and it reduces the running temperature of the tyres so your tyres are less likely to explode."

Is this just marketing hype or are there good reasons for choosing to inflate your car tyres with nitrogen instead of air?

Read the March 2020 edition of AUS-e-NEWS to find out more.

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How to Type a Chemical Formula into a Textbox

Properties of Aldehydes and Ketones

Aldehydes and ketones contain the same functional group, for example, butanal and butanone both contain the same carbonyl functional group (C=O). So how would you tell if a substance was butanal or butanone?
AUS-e-TUTE has just added new resources to help you understand the similarities and differences in the chemical and physical properties of aldehydes and ketones (as represented by alkanals and alkanones). AUS-e-TUTE Members should log-in to use the new tutorial, game, test and exam with worked solutions.
If you are not an AUS-e-TUTE member there is currently a "free-to-view" tutorial on this topic at https://www.ausetute.com.au/ketones.html

How to write half-equations for aqueous solutions under basic conditions

Lots of common batteries like alkaline batteries and NiCad batteries use oxidation and reduction reactions in alkaline, or basic, conditions.
Learn how to write half-equations for these reactions at https://www.ausetute.com.au/halfeqtnb.html

AUS-e-TUTE Members should log-in to access the new tutorial, game and test with worked solutions to help you learn how to write these half-equations for basic conditions.

How to write half-equations for aqueous solutions under acidic conditions

Some batteries, like lead-acid batteries used in cars, and some fuel cells like those that use alcohols, rely on oxidation and reduction reactions that occur in aqueous solution under acidic conditions.
You will need to be able to write half-equations for these reactions.
How do you write balanced chemical half-equations for these reactions?

Go to https://www.ausetute.com.au/halfeqtn.html to find out!

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Hydrolysis of Acids and Bases

If you want to find the value of the acid dissociation constant for a weak acid you look up tables of values. For example, the value of K_a for acetic acid (ethanoic acid) is always tabulated.
But what if you want the value of a base dissociation constant?  What if you want the value of K_b for the acetate ion (ethanoate ion)? You won't find this value in a table, you'll have to know how to calculate it!

AUS-e-TUTE has just added new resources to help you understand and apply the concept of acid and base hydrolysis including calculations. AUS-e-TUTE Members should log-in to access the new tutorial, game, test, exam (with worked solutions), and teacher members can access the worksheet wizard to make printable worksheets and quizzes (with answers).

If you are not an AUS-e-TUTE Member, the "free-to-view" tutorial is currently available at

https://www.ausetute.com.au/kakbkw.html

Acid + Carbonate

Carbonate is found in lots of rock-forming minerals as well as in egg shells, corals and oyster shells. It is a major component of limestone, and of marble. 
What happens when carbonate minerals, shells, corals and marble statues meet acids?  
AUS-e-TUTE has just added a new tutorial, game, test and exam to help you write word equations for carbonate and acid chemical reactions. AUS-e-TUTE members should log-in to use these new resources.

A "free-to-view" tutorial is currently available to non-members at

https://www.ausetute.com.au/weacidcarbonate.html