So I have a number of equations with concentrations in them… and using mhchem
I find an anomaly (probably in my understanding!) when I use \ce
with []
\ce{[OH-]}
does not give me [OH^{-}]
, but gives me [OH-]
, but \ce{[H+]}
does give me [H^{+}]
. [\ce{OH-}]
does give [OH^{-}]
.
I am not sure what I don't understand here…
with thanks for the help
Chris
Best Answer
Here is my guess:
[
and]
are part of the compound as far asmhchem
is concerned and in the middle of a compound a-
is interpreted as a single bond which is what you're seeing in\ce{[OH-]}
. At the end of a compound a-
is interpreted as a negative charge which is what you're seeing in\ce{OH-}
. Since+
does not have a different meaning in the middle of a compound it doesn't behave differently but is interpreted as a positive charge both times.The way out is clear:
\ce{[OH^-]}