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Welcome to Chemical Forums.

Chemical Forums is a place where you can ask your chemistry questions and discuss them with others. Our main goal is to help you learn chemistry, regardless of whether you are at school or whether you are treating chemistry as a hobby.

We want this site to be useful and friendly, and to make sure it is, we ask you to follow our guidelines. If you are an experienced web citizen, most of our rules will be obvious for you, if not, they are spelled out in details below.

In short:

• whenever asking questions show you have already tried to solve them on your own,
• whenever helping others, help them solve the questions on their own and don't give the final answers,
• don't discuss drugs nor explosives synthesis or preparation,
• don't post crackpottery,
• follow netiquette –  be nice, use plain English, pay attention to formatting of your posts, use informative thread subjects.

Violators of the rules will be warned, and – if necessary – banned, or put on probation, where all their posts have to be approved by moderators.

Can read
(but don't be surprised if you get smashed for something you ignored)

We have nothing against a reasonable scientific discussion of the properties of drugs and explosives, but we will not help you hurt yourself making them. If you you think your question might cross the line, feel free to send a private message to one of our moderators asking if the questions is acceptable. Note that even if the question is acceptable, discussion may take such a direction we will decide to close the thread. Due to their potential health hazards, we will also not help you prepare your own medicines or cosmetics.

Please show that you've at least attempted the problem. We don't mind helping you solve problems, but we are ethically opposed to doing homework for you. Just pasting the question and leaving the forum in a hope someone will post the solution will not work – miracles don't happen. Showing what you did indicates to us what you know and where you got stuck, and that helps us help you.

If you want to help others, help them learn – don't do their homework, but guide them to the answer suggesting applicable laws or equations, or give hints to put them on the right track. You will soon learn that seeing someone arriving at the correct solution under your guidance is much more rewarding than showing how bright you are by giving the final answer.

If you are seeking help with your studies on Chemical Forums, your chances of receiving assistance are directly related to the way you post. Posts that are unclear due to reasons such as poor use of language and formatting or lack of vital information will attract less attention or may even be ignored. With the formatting tools available there is no excuse for posting incorrectly/poorly formatted formulae, both chemical (so HPO₄^2-, and not ambiguous HPO42-) and mathematical (so [itex]\frac 1 {2+3}[/itex] or 1/(2+3) and not ambiguous 1/2+3 - unless that's what you really mean). Paying attention to what you post pays off.

Remember, the regulars on Chemical Forums are volunteers. The clearer your post is, the more likely it is that someone will take their time to stop and help you. Furthermore, the forum is also a searchable archive of information for future users. We want this information to be tidy and well presented.

Copyright infringement is illegal. Please don't help in the illegal distribution of copyrighted books, papers and other materials, and don't ask others to do the same or to give you links to such material. Small quotes from papers are OK, as long as you provide a link to the original source.

Saying something like, "I don't get kinetics can you explain it to me" or "what is a Clausius-Clapeyron equation?" will get you negative responses on this forum. There is no reason to ask a question cold with the amount of information available everywhere on the web. First try to look it up – use google or wikipedia – and come here once you get to the point you don't understand something. Asking question without even trying to research it first is just a sign of laziness, nothing else.

We don't delete accounts, threads nor posts, unless they violate the forum rules. Chemical Forums is for real, and what you post here will stay online. When doing homework make sure that you are allowed to post your questions online and to ask for a help. However, in accordance with GDPR on request we will anonymise your data so that you, as a poster, are impossible to identify.

Note that moderators will make their decisions based on their knowledge and experience. Just because something is not explicitly listed in the rules as being prohibited doesn't mean it will be accepted. We know there are subjects that usually quickly lead to pointless quarrels, and we will do our best to keep forum clean of them.

Chemical Forums posting etiquette
A guide to writing your posts is detailed below.

1. Never write in ALL CAPS.

2. Choose a thread title that is indicative of its content.
In order for Chemical Forums to function effectively as a searchable archive, thread titles must give some indication of the topic being discussed.
Do not give your topics titles such as "please help" or "question". We already know you need help , that's why you you are posting. What is important is what the questions is about – is it stoichiometry? Kinetics? Le Chatelier's principle? Cannizzaro reaction? Or perhaps you have problem with an amide synthesis? These make good thread subjects. The best way to get a fast response is to provide a quality post.
Please refrain from adding phrases like "URGENT", "really stuck", "due tomorrow" etc. to the subject. It is your responsibility to start your homework/revision early enough.

3. Posts should be written in clear English. The official language of the Chemical Forums is English.
We are aware that many of our members' first language is not English and do bear this in mind. However, the worst use of English normally comes from native speakers.

3.1. Post your question clearly and concisely.
If you are repeating a homework question, please type it verbatim, including all the information given in the question.
Remember, you must post your attempt at the question as well (show your working). Please don't just post scanned question sheets and/or answers. In some cases that's a good idea (organic mechanism) but in most cases it just means you are too lazy to write a normal post explaining where you have faced a problem. If you are too lazy to write, we are too lazy to read.

3.2. Check your spelling and grammar.
Posts that are riddled with spelling errors and poor grammar take more effort to read. The more effort the reader has to put in to decipher a post, the less likely they are to help you. Make use of the spell checker and basic grammatical tools. Full stops and commas make a difference.
One exclamation mark is sufficient to emphasize a statement, as is one question mark to indicate a question.

3.3. Do not use "text speak", chat-room abbreviations or slang.
Chemical Forums is an educational website and a certain amount of formality and courtesy to the reader is expected.
For example, "U", "r", "plz", "cuz" etc. should not be used in place of you, are, please and because, respectively.

3.4. Smileys are rarely appropriate.
If you must put a smiley face in your post, one is enough. There is no need to sign off with a string of 17 smileys.

3.5. Avoid the wall-of-text.
If your post is long, break up the text with paragraph spaces. Monolithic blocks of text will put off would-be helpers.

3.6. Chemical symbols and formulae should be correctly formatted, as they are often the most important part of the question. Click here for a detailed information on how to enter things like H₂PO₄^-, [itex]pH=-\log_{10}\sqrt{K_aC_a}[/itex] or
.

3.7. Define abbreviations.
While many standard chemical abbreviations will be widely understood (Me, Et, Ph, Ac, THF, DCM, etc.), if you are using non-standard, specialist, biological or archaic abbreviations you should define them. If in doubt, it never hurts to type it out in full the first time.

3.8. Attach images, avoid attaching documents.
If you wish to add an image to your post, you should attach it using the "Additional Options..." link below the edit field. Click here for a diagram.
Please do not just post links to external image hosting websites. However, you can post an image hosted at other site, just put the image uri in img tags. Example: [img]http://www.website.com/image.jpg[/img].
Please don't post your questions just by taking a picture of the book, or just by attaching some document (whatever type) to the post. Type the problem, type the question, type your attempt at solution. Sure, sometimes adding picture is a must, but it should not be done to save you typing the most basic information related to the problem.

3.9. Asked on forums, answered on forums.
That's how internet communities work. The private message (PM) facility is not for asking for help. Also, please don't post your email addresses - if someone wants to discuss something with you in private, it can be easily done through PM.

3.10. Preview.
Before you hit "post", look at the preview. Proof read your post and check it looks OK.

4. Be polite and patient.

4.1. You will probably be answered with another question.
Chemical Forums members subscribe to the Socratic Method of learning, whereby students can ask a question and learn the answer for themselves from the gentle prodding and questioning by forum staff and regulars. Please do not get frustrated with or be rude to members who respond in this way - they are following the rules for replyers. You are being guided towards the answer and your best chance of getting there is cooperation.

4.2. Don't be rude or hurtful.
Respect others' feelings when posting. Name-calling and swearing are not allowed.
Chemical Forums operates a zero-tolerance policy on Trolling and Internet bullying (including private messages). Perpetrators will be permanently banned.

4.3. If you feel someone is being rude to you, you should use the "report to moderator" function - do not feed the trolls.They will be dealt with as necessary, don't add fuel to the fire.

4.4. Bumping threads.
If your post gets no responses for a while, please do not add an empty post, or simply post "anyone???" etc. to push it back up the thread list.
If nobody has replied to your post, it is probably due to one of the reasons listed earlier. Try to improve on your original post by adding more information or input of some kind.
If you can see no reason why you have not attracted a response in 48 hours, "use the report to moderator" function, and the moderation team should be able to help you improve your post or move it to a different sub-forum if appropriate.

4.5 Editing posts
Please don't edit your posts after they were replied to. Sometimes it is acceptable and makes sense, when the information posted is obviously wrong and could be misleading for others, but even then do it in such a way it is obvious post was modified. Don't try to modify your posts to cover your mistakes.

4.6 Don't post more than once
Please don't cross-post. Asking your question in one forum is enough. If you are not sure where to post - select a forum you think fits best and either state in the message body you are not sure if that's the correct place, or use report button to get attention of moderators; they will move the thread.