Consider Two Adjacent Water Molecules in an Ice Crystal

question 10

Multiple Choice

Consider two adjacent water molecules in an ice crystal. Assume that the binding energy connecting them follows a Lennard-Jones potential with a potential well depth of 9.6x10-21 J, and the equilibrium atomic spacing is 3.196x10-10 m. How much force must you apply to one of the molecules to increase the separation of the two atoms by 10% from the equilibrium spacing? Assume that the other molecule is fixed in position.

• A)3.0x10-11 N
• B)5.4x10-11 N
• C)8.0x10-11 N
• D)3.2x10-10 N
• E)9.6x10-10 N

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Definitions:

HA

HA typically refers to a generic acid formula where "H" represents hydrogen and "A" stands for an anion; it can also denote hyaluronic acid in biomedical contexts.

pH

A scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution, with values ranging from 0 to 14.

K

The symbol for Potassium, a chemical element with the atomic number 19, essential for many bodily functions.

HI

A chemical formula representing hydrogen iodide, a diatomic molecule consisting of hydrogen and iodine.