Girls Vs Boys Chemistry Challenge!

It depends on the question. Some of them are difficult indeed. Otherwise I give answers, if I can.



Would you give a clue, please?

That's a toughie!

Seeing as this seems to be a bit rigged atm :P I better put some challenging questions in!

Explain why HgO has a distorted structure whereas HgS has a regular (more symmetric) structure.


btw this is way past A-level, but you did ask for challenging questions!!! :P

Does it have anything to do with what is described in this (http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ahermann/Reprints/JPCA_113_12427_2009.pdf) article?

(...)
Explain why HgO has a distorted structure whereas HgS has a regular (more symmetric) structure.
(...)

There is an oxide and a sulfide. Could it be that the answer has anything to do with the properties of them?

yay, matched your question then!

I think my question was less unreasonable than yours.

Because its hexagonal structure makes it easy for electron to go through it thus conducting electricity.
What is the product of butanol and ethanoic acid?

Because its hexagonal structure makes it easy for electron to go through it thus conducting electricity.
What is the product of butanol and ethanoic acid?

2 things...

1. this is comparing compounds with different metals
2. do you understand any of it or not? You can't just quote papers at me. Use them to find out the answer.

1. Correct, but is does talk about the structure of mercuryoxide, which is part of your question and could explain this part.
2. Of course I do not understand the article into every detail but I do understand the idea.

I was just asking if this was on the right track to an answer, but I do understand it makes look a bit lazy, sorry for that. I'll try to formulate an answer using your hint.

I think my question was less unreasonable than yours.

Because its hexagonal structure makes it easy for electron to go through it thus conducting electricity.
What is the product of butanol and ethanoic acid?

Explain why graphite is able to conduct electricity.

Explain why graphite is able to conduct electricity.

Graphite has unhybridized p orbitals which interact to form a delocalised $\pi$ - system, so electrons have the ability to move within it.

No I'm not accusing you of being lazy, just saying that it doesn't count as an answer. Sorry but i'm not going to read the whole paper when the abstract implies that the answer isn't in there. The answer I'm looking for isn't anything to do with what the structure of HgO is apart from that it is less symmetric than the structure of HgS.

OK, big clue..... I knew this was going to be needed!!!

The distortion is driven by mixing of the metal and anion orbitals. In the regular structure the anion p cannot interact with the metal levels, it is symmetry disallowed. In the less symmetric environment of the distorted structure the mixing is symmetry allowed.
Now rationalise why this happens for HgO and not HgS!!!



It's straight out of lecture notes..... seeing as you're clearly at the same uni as me (given how you know me from somewhere) you should be able to look this up eaisly.