0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
In order to do this, you will first need to develop a method for estimating the cross-sectional area and the length of a stearic acid molecule. You can estimate both using a bit of geometry and by approximating the stearic acid molecule as a chain containing 18 carbon atoms with a bond length of 154 pm and a bond angle of 109.5o. The carbon atoms are in a zig-zag pattern as shown in the figure above.
This is about a simple geometry. Try to draw a molecule and see if what you know about triangles, angles, line segments, distances between points on a plane, can be applied to finding the molecule length.