Gram chemical equivalent
(GCE) is a unit of measurement used in chemistry to quantify the amount of a
substance that can participate in a chemical reaction. It is defined as the
amount of a substance in grams that contains one equivalent of the substance.
One equivalent of a
substance is defined as the amount of the substance that can react with or
replace one mole of hydrogen ions (H+) in an acid-base reaction, or one mole of
electrons in a redox reaction.
The GCE is calculated by
dividing the atomic or molecular weight of the substance by its valence. The
valence of an element or compound is the number of electrons it can donate or
accept in a chemical reaction. For example, the valence of hydrogen is +1,
while the valence of oxygen is -2.
For instance, the GCE of
hydrogen is 1 gram (atomic weight of hydrogen is 1 g/mol, and its valence is
+1). The GCE of sodium is 23 grams (atomic weight of sodium is 23 g/mol, and
its valence is +1). The GCE of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is 49 grams (molecular
weight of H2SO4 is 98 g/mol, and its valence is 2).
The GCE is useful in stoichiometric
calculations, which involve determining the amounts of reactants and products
in a chemical reaction. It helps to determine the exact amount of a substance
required for a given reaction, based on its valence and the number of
equivalents required for the reaction.
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