Electrostatic Force of Water on a Chlorine Ion

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the electrostatic force exerted by a water molecule on a chlorine ion, focusing on the dipole moment of water and the electric fields generated by both the water molecule and the chlorine ion. The problem involves concepts from electrostatics and electric fields.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the electric fields produced by the water molecule and the chlorine ion separately and then combine them to find the net electric field. Questions arise regarding the multiplication of the net electric field by the charge of the chlorine ion.

Discussion Status

Participants are engaged in clarifying the steps taken in the calculations, particularly regarding the multiplication of the net electric field by the charge of the chlorine ion. There is an ongoing exploration of the reasoning behind these calculations, with no explicit consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the separation between the charges in the dipole is negligible compared to the distance from the dipole to the chlorine ion, which influences the use of approximations in their calculations.

moonlight13
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The dipole moment of the water molecule ({\rm H}_{2}{\rm O}) is 6.17 \times 10^{-30}\;{\rm C \cdot m}. Consider a water molecule located at the origin whose dipole moment p_vec points in the positive x direction. A chlorine ion ({\rm Cl}^{-}), of charge -1.60 \times 10^{-19}\;{\rm C}, is located at x=3.00 \times 10^{-9} meters. Assume that this x value is much larger than the separation d between the charges in the dipole, so that the approximate expression for the electric field along the dipole axis can be used.

Find the magnitude of the electric force, ignoring the sign, that the water molecule exerts on the chlorine ion.

attempt to question:

the water has an electric field to the right and the chlorine ion has it to the left ..

i calculated the E for water and Cl- separately

E (H2O):
E = 2Kp/r^3 = 2*(9x10^9)*(6.17x10^-30)/(3.00x10^-9)^3 = 4.11 x 10^6 N/C

E (Cl-):
E = KQ/r^2 = K(1.60x10^-19)/(3.00x10^-9)^2 = 1.6 x 10^8 N/C

now to find the force do I find the E(net) = 1.6 x 10^8 - 4.11 x 10^6 = 1.56 x 10^8 N/C
then times by charge? .. so E(net) x (1.6 x 10^-19) ..? = 2.49 x 10^-11 N...

Am I doing it right..??
Thank
 
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Can OSmeone please help me with this question..

Thank you
 
Why did you multiply it by 1.6x10^-19?
 
multiply which part by that??
 
why did you multiply E_net by 1.6x10^-19?
 

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