Chemistry constants
59 values, each with its units, its uncertainty, and where it came from.
Universal & Atomic 2
Avogadro constant exact
mol⁻¹Exactly 6.022 140 76 × 10²³ entities per mole — the fixed number that has defined the mole since the 2019 SI revision.
Atomic mass constant (unified atomic mass unit) measured
kgOne twelfth of the mass of a free carbon-12 atom at rest, 1.660 539 069 × 10⁻²⁷ kg — the dalton used in every mass spectrum.
Electromagnetic 2
Faraday constant exact
C/molThe charge carried by one mole of electrons, N_A×e ≈ 96485 coulombs — the bridge between the coulombs you meter and the moles you plate.
Relative permittivity of water measured
—Typical static dielectric constant of liquid water at 20 °C — an outlier among common liquids and the reason water dissolves salts so well.
Thermodynamic 10
Molar gas constant exact
J/(mol·K)The universal gas constant, R = k·N_A = 8.314462618 J/(mol·K), exact since 2019 and the R in PV = nRT and in every entropy table.
Molar volume of an ideal gas at STP (0 °C, 100 kPa) exact
L/mol22.71095464 L/mol at IUPAC standard temperature and pressure, 273.15 K and 100 kPa exactly — not the older 22.4 L/mol.
Molar volume of an ideal gas at 0 °C and 1 atm exact
L/molThe textbook 22.414 L/mol: one mole of ideal gas at 273.15 K and 101.325 kPa, the pre-1982 definition of standard conditions.
Molar volume of an ideal gas at 25 °C and 1 atm exact
L/mol24.4654 L/mol at 298.15 K and 101.325 kPa, the ambient reference used for gas concentrations in ppm-to-mg/m³ conversions.
Loschmidt constant exact
m⁻³Number density of an ideal gas at 273.15 K and 101.325 kPa: 2.6867801e25 molecules per cubic metre, or 2.69e19 per cubic centimetre.
Sackur-Tetrode constant measured
—Reduced absolute entropy of an ideal monatomic gas at 1 K and 100 kPa, -1.1517075, the constant that puts Planck's h inside a classical gas.
Molar mass constant measured
kg/molM_u = 1.00000000105e-3 kg/mol, the factor turning a relative atomic mass into a molar mass — no longer exactly 1 g/mol since 2019.
Standard state pressure exact
PaThe thermodynamic standard state pressure, exactly 1 bar = 100 kPa, the p° in every tabulated ΔG°, ΔH° and equilibrium constant.
Heat capacity ratio of argon
—γ = 1.667 for argon and the other monatomic gases, the theoretical maximum 5/3 predicted by kinetic theory for point-like atoms.
Calorie (thermochemical) exact
JThe thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 J; the food Calorie is a kilocalorie, 4184 J, a factor of a thousand larger.
Chemistry 45
Ionic Product of Water (Kw at 25 °C) measured
dimensionlessThe autoionisation constant of pure water at 25 °C, [H⁺][OH⁻] = 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁴, the equilibrium behind the whole 0–14 pH scale.
pKw of Water at 25 °C measured
dimensionlessThe negative logarithm of water's ionic product at 25 °C, pKw = 13.995, universally rounded to 14.00 for the pH + pOH identity.
Molar Mass of Water measured
kg/molThe molar mass of water, 18.015 g/mol — one mole of H₂O is 18.015 g and occupies almost exactly 18.07 mL of liquid at 25 °C.
Molar Mass of Carbon Dioxide measured
kg/molThe molar mass of carbon dioxide, 44.009 g/mol — the conversion that turns tonnes of burnt carbon into tonnes of CO₂ emitted.
Molar Mass of Dioxygen measured
kg/molThe molar mass of molecular oxygen, 31.998 g/mol — the basis of every stoichiometric air requirement in combustion calculations.
Molar Mass of Dinitrogen measured
kg/molThe molar mass of molecular nitrogen, 28.014 g/mol — the dominant term in the 28.96 g/mol average molar mass of dry air.
Molar Mass of Methane measured
kg/molThe molar mass of methane, 16.043 g/mol — the working figure for natural gas, converting between cubic metres, kilograms and moles.
Molar Mass of Sodium Chloride measured
kg/molThe formula mass of sodium chloride, 58.44 g/mol — the number behind saline, brine strength and softener regeneration dosing.
Molar Mass of Calcium Carbonate measured
kg/molThe formula mass of calcium carbonate, 100.086 g/mol — the reference substance for reporting hardness and alkalinity as mg/L as CaCO₃.
Molar Mass of Sulfuric Acid measured
kg/molThe molar mass of sulfuric acid, 98.072 g/mol — the basis for converting between percent strength, molarity and normality in acid feed.
Molar Mass of Sodium Hydroxide measured
kg/molThe formula mass of sodium hydroxide, 39.997 g/mol — the reason a 1 M caustic solution is made from almost exactly 40 g per litre.
Molar Mass of Ammonia measured
kg/molThe molar mass of ammonia, 17.031 g/mol — the conversion between mg/L as N and mg/L as NH₃ in every wastewater report.
Molar Mass of Glucose measured
kg/molThe molar mass of glucose, 180.156 g/mol — the conversion between blood sugar in mg/dL and mmol/L, and the unit of cellular energy accounting.
Atomic Mass of Hydrogen measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of hydrogen, 1.0080 g/mol — the lightest entry on the periodic table and the anchor of the original mass scale.
Atomic Mass of Carbon measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of carbon, 12.011 g/mol — the element that anchored the atomic mass scale from 1961 until the 2019 redefinition.
Atomic Mass of Nitrogen measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of nitrogen, 14.007 g/mol — the divisor behind every fertiliser grade and every mg/L as N in a water report.
Atomic Mass of Oxygen measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of oxygen, 15.999 g/mol — the reference element for chemical atomic masses from Berzelius until 1961.
Atomic Mass of Sodium measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of sodium, 22.98976928 g/mol — a mononuclidic element, so the value is known to eleven significant figures.
Atomic Mass of Chlorine measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of chlorine, 35.45 g/mol — the textbook example of a fractional atomic weight produced by isotope mixing.
Atomic Mass of Calcium measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of calcium, 40.078 g/mol — the ion that dominates water hardness and the scale it leaves behind.
Atomic Mass of Iron measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of iron, 55.845 g/mol — the element with the highest binding energy per nucleon, where fusion stops paying.
Atomic Mass of Sulfur measured
kg/molThe standard atomic weight of sulfur, 32.06 g/mol — the divisor for sulfate, sulfuric acid and every fuel sulfur specification.
Acid Dissociation Constant of Acetic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe acid dissociation constant of acetic acid at 25 °C, Kₐ = 1.75 × 10⁻⁵, the reference weak acid of every textbook and every buffer.
pKₐ of Acetic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe pKₐ of acetic acid at 25 °C, 4.756 — the pH at which acetic acid and acetate are present in exactly equal amounts.
First Dissociation Constant of Carbonic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe first acid dissociation constant of carbonic acid at 25 °C, Kₐ₁ = 4.45 × 10⁻⁷, governing the CO₂-bicarbonate equilibrium in natural water.
First pKₐ of Carbonic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe first pKₐ of carbonic acid at 25 °C, 6.352 — the pH at which dissolved CO₂ and bicarbonate are present in equal concentrations.
Second Dissociation Constant of Carbonic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe second acid dissociation constant of carbonic acid at 25 °C, Kₐ₂ = 4.69 × 10⁻¹¹, the bicarbonate-to-carbonate step that drives scaling.
Second pKₐ of Carbonic Acid measured
dimensionlessThe second pKₐ of carbonic acid at 25 °C, 10.329 — the pH at which bicarbonate and carbonate ions are present in equal concentrations.
First Dissociation Constant of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe first acid dissociation constant of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, Kₐ₁ = 7.11 × 10⁻³, a moderately strong first proton on a triprotic acid.
First pKₐ of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe first pKₐ of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, 2.148 — the centre of the low-pH buffering region used in HPLC mobile phases.
Second Dissociation Constant of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe second acid dissociation constant of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, Kₐ₂ = 6.32 × 10⁻⁸, the step that buffers cells and biological media.
Second pKₐ of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe second pKₐ of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, 7.199 — almost exactly physiological pH, which is why phosphate buffers biology.
Third Dissociation Constant of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe third acid dissociation constant of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, Kₐ₃ = 4.5 × 10⁻¹³, a proton so tightly held it needs strong alkali to remove.
Third pKₐ of Phosphoric Acid measured
dimensionlessThe third pKₐ of phosphoric acid at 25 °C, 12.35 — the pH above which free orthophosphate finally becomes the dominant species.
Base Dissociation Constant of Ammonia measured
dimensionlessThe base dissociation constant of ammonia at 25 °C, K_b = 1.77 × 10⁻⁵, making it the textbook weak base and the mirror of acetic acid.
Solubility Product of Calcium Carbonate measured
dimensionlessThe solubility product of calcite at 25 °C, K_sp = 3.36 × 10⁻⁹ — the number that decides whether a water scales or corrodes.
Solubility Product of Calcium Sulfate measured
dimensionlessThe solubility product of anhydrous calcium sulfate at 25 °C, K_sp = 4.93 × 10⁻⁵ — the gypsum scale that acid cleaning cannot remove.
Standard Hydrogen Electrode Potential exact
VThe standard potential of the hydrogen electrode, defined as exactly 0 V at 25 °C — the zero point of the entire electrochemical series.
Standard Potential of the Zinc Half-Cell measured
VThe standard reduction potential of Zn²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Zn at 25 °C, −0.7618 V — the anode of the Daniell cell and of every sacrificial anode.
Standard Potential of the Copper Half-Cell measured
VThe standard reduction potential of Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu at 25 °C, +0.3419 V — the cathode half of the Daniell cell and of copper electroplating.
Standard Potential of the Ferric–Ferrous Couple measured
VThe standard reduction potential of Fe³⁺ + e⁻ → Fe²⁺ at 25 °C, +0.771 V — the redox couple that sets the character of natural water.
Standard Potential of the Silver Half-Cell measured
VThe standard reduction potential of Ag⁺ + e⁻ → Ag at 25 °C, +0.7996 V — the basis of the silver-silver chloride reference electrode.
Standard Potential of the Oxygen–Water Couple measured
VThe standard reduction potential of O₂ + 4H⁺ + 4e⁻ → 2H₂O at 25 °C, +1.229 V — the couple that drives corrosion and limits water electrolysis.
Cryoscopic Constant of Water measured
K·kg/molThe freezing-point depression constant of water, 1.86 K·kg/mol — one molal of dissolved particles lowers the freezing point by 1.86 °C.
Ebullioscopic Constant of Water measured
K·kg/molThe boiling-point elevation constant of water, 0.512 K·kg/mol — one molal of dissolved particles raises the boiling point by 0.512 °C.