Bond Lab

C AP Chemistry

Taher Motiwalla
Introduction:
Objective: To learn the properties of ionic and covalent bonds

Chemical compounds are combinations of atoms held together by chemical bonds. These chemical bonds are of two
basic types - ionic and covalent. Ionic bonds result when one or more electrons from one atom of group of atoms
are transferred to another atom. Positive and negative ions are created through this process. In covalent compounds
the bonded atoms share the electrons.

The curls and waves in your hair are the result of the many hydrogen, ionic and covalent bonds between the chains
of atoms that make up each hair follicle. Styling hair by wetting it or heating it with a curling iron is an attempt to
change the hydrogen and ionic bonds so that they will form a new shape. The changes are temporary, and as soon as
you wash your hair, the hairstyle is gone. The solutions in a “permanent”, however, break and reform covalent
bonds. This is why a “permanent” does not wash out when you wash your hair.

The physical properties of a substance such as melting point, solubility and conductivity tell us a lot about the type
of bond in a compound. In this experiment, tests on these properties will be performed enabling the classification of
compound bonds as ionic or covalent.

Procedures:
Part A - Melting Point
1) Obtain six watch glasses. Place a two-gram sample of the following compounds in a separate watch glass:

 Watch Glass #1 : 2g of Calcium Chloride

 Watch Glass #2 : 2g of Citric Acid
 Watch Glass #3 : 2g of Phenyl Salicylate
 Watch Glass #4 : 2g of Potassium Iodide
 Watch Glass #5 : 2g of Sodium Chloride
 Watch Glass #6 : 2g of Sucrose

1) Under each watch glass place a Bunsen burner.

2) In the chart provided in the observations section, record the order of melting (i.e. 1st, 2nd, etc). If the compound
does not melted after 2 minutes put “no” in the table.
3) Clean the lab workspace.

Part B - Solubility in Ethanol

1) Obtain six test tubes and add 25ml of ethanol to each test tube.
2) Add a two-gram sample of each of the above compounds to each test tube.
3) Stir the samples.
4) In the chart provided record if each compound is solubility in ethanol.
5) Clean the lab workspace.

Part C - Solubility in Water

1) Obtain six test tubes and add 25ml of water to each test tube.
2) Add a two-gram sample of each of the above compounds to each test tube.
3) Stir the samples.
4) In the chart provided record if each compound is solubility in water.
5) Clean the lab workspace.

Part D - Conductivity
1) Obtain six 100ml beakers and add 50ml of water to each.
2) Place a 10g sample of each of the above compounds in a separate beaker.
3) Obtain six conductivity meters. Measure and record the conductivity of each solution.
4) Clean the lab workspace.

Observations:

Record the data collected from this experiment in the following chart:
Rank melting point from highest to lowest, where no melting is high and decomposes is low.
Solubility is recorded as “soluble” or “insoluble.”
Conductivity is recorded as “yes” or “no.”

Calcium Chloride

Melting Point: No
Solubility (water): Soluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Insoluble
Conductivity: 166.08 µS

Citric Acid

Melting Point: 2nd

Solubility (water): Insoluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Soluble
Conductivity: 0 µS

Phenyl Salicylate

Melting Point: 1st

Solubility (water): Insoluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Soluble
Conductivity: 0 µS

Potassium Iodide

Melting Point: No
Solubility (water): Soluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Insoluble
Conductivity: 118.94 µS

Sodium Chloride
Melting Point: No
Solubility (water): Soluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Insoluble
Conductivity: 269.01 µS

Sucrose

Melting Point: 3rd

Solubility (water): Soluble
Solubility (Ethanol): Soluble
Conductivity: 0 µS

Analysis:
From the data table above, separate the compounds into two groups as indicated below:
Group 1(Low Melting Point, Soluble in Ethanol, Not Conductive)
Group 2 (High Melting Point, Soluble in Water, Conductive)

Calcium Chloride: High Melting Point, Soluble in Water, Conductive, Group 2

Citric Acid: Low Melting Point, Soluble in Ethanol, Not Conductive Group 1
Phenyl Salicylate: Low Melting Point, Soluble in Ethanol, Not Conductive Group 1
Potassium Iodide: High Melting Point, Soluble in Water, Conductive Group 2
Sodium Chloride: High Melting Point, Soluble in Water, Conductive Group 2
Sucrose: Low Melting Point, Soluble in Water, Soluble in Ethanol, Not Conductive Group 1

From your knowledge of ionic and covalent bonds classify the following compound as “ionic” or
“covalent”:

Calcium Chloride: Ionic

Citric Acid: Covalent
Phenyl Salicylate: Covalent
Potassium Iodide: Ionic
Sodium Chloride: Ionic
Sucrose: Covalent