Chem 103

Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

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Name Course & Year

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Group Number Section Date

Experiment No. 1
COMMON LABORATORY OPERATIONS

Objectives: 1. To be familiar with the construction and manipulations of the Bunsen burner.
2. To become acquainted with some common laboratory operations.

Apparatus: 1 - 100 mL beaker glass rod water bath

2 - 250 mL beakers test tube holder clay flame shield
1 - 10 mL graduated cylinder funnel wire gauze
4 - 25 mL test tubes evaporating dish crucible tong
1 - 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask watch glass Bunsen burner
Florence flask

Materials: mixture of 0.5 g of table salt, 0.5 g of naphthalene, 1.0 g of sand, and a dash
of food coloring
0.1 g of activated carbon
filter papers

Theory:
Several tools are used inside the laboratory and each has its own purpose. Different
laboratory operations are also practiced inside the laboratory such as lighting the Bunsen
burner, measuring volumes of liquid, etc. Since these are frequently done inside the
laboratory, proper execution of these operations and techniques is needed to ensure the
safety of the student. The purpose of this experiment is to introduce several equipment used
in the laboratory and to learn about their proper usage. This experiment also aims to teach
proper execution of common techniques done inside the laboratory.
Procedure:
a. Laboratory Operations:
1. Using a Bunsen Burner
a. Examine your Bunsen burner and locate its parts.
b. Label the parts properly (see Fig 1). Give the function of each part. Note the gas
inlet and the nozzle or gas spud at the base of the burner.

Figure 1. Parts of the Bunsen burner

Source: https://www.grainger.com/product/HUMBOLDT-Bunsen-Burner-9K457

Parts of a Bunsen Burner and Their Functions:

 Barrel - where the fuel and air mixes
 Air hole - entrance of the air
 Gas spud - regulates/controls the amount of fuel gas to be combusted
 Collar - regulates/controls the amount of air coming in and to close and open
the air holes
 Gas inlet - entrance of the fuel gas
 Base - supports the Bunsen burner
 Gas regulator - valve that controls the fuel gas coming in to the gas spud
 Mouth - place of ignition

b. Half close the airholes. Open the gas regulator slightly and connect the burner to
the gas cock by means of a piece of rubber tubing.
c. Light a match stick and hold it just slightly above the mouth of the burner.
d. Slowly open the gas cock until you have a flame of about ten cm high.
e. Open and close the air holes and note the difference in the color of the flame.

Observations:

f. Put out the flame by turning off the gas cock and close the gas regulator.
NEVER BLOW OUT THE GAS FLAME.
 Questions:
1. What influence does the opening and closing of the air holes have on the amount
of air mixing with the gas?
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2. What makes a flame luminous?
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3. What makes a flame nonluminous?
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4. What type of flame are you going to use in the laboratory when heating? Why?
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2. Measurement of volume of liquids.

a. Fill a test tube and beaker (100 mL) with water up to the brim.
b. Measure each volume separately using a graduated cylinder.
c. In reading the volume, place the graduated cylinder on a flat surface and keep the
eye at level with the lower meniscus of the liquid as shown in Figure 2
(Record the volumes of liquids in approximately two decimal places.)
Volumes of liquid in the: test tube ______
beaker _______
NOTE: For reading the volume of colored liquids, keep the eye level with the
upper meniscus.

Figure 2. Proper reading of volumes of liquids (clear and colorless liquids)

Source:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/c6nqXvE0UiTYVHGQGqHCPoW0gtb38OMBpHQ0vLQC-FqiEBy-ndh4LCnRax8xoMx3ZBekZw=s90
3. Transferring liquids
a. Fill a 250 mL beaker with water until it is about three-fourths full.
b. Hold the beaker with water with one hand and a glass rod with the other.
c. Hold the glass rod against the lip of the beaker containing the water and put the
free end of the rod into an empty 250 mL beaker.
d. Carefully pour the water and let it glide down the glass rod into the empty beaker
(see Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Transferring Liquids

Source: https://www.nicepng.com/maxp/u2q8u2e6y3y3u2o0/

Why should one use a glass rod or piece of glass tubing in transferring liquids from
one vessel to another?
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4. Heating liquids in test tubes

a. Partially fill a test tube (not more than ¾) with water.
b. Hold the test tube with a test tube holder and position it at a 450 angle.
c. Heat the liquid starting moving the test tube slowly back and forth through the flame
in such a manner that the top of the flame is near the top of the liquid but does not
touch the empty part of the test tube.

Figure 4. Heating liquids in test tubes

Source: http://www.pinsdaddy.com/test-tube-heating-elements_*jTFhlDBoXoXbtVALdGXc*11Fa0mmxi3eeD*1uQ2L9s/
 When heating liquid, THE OPENING OF THE TEST TUBE MUST NEVER BE
POINTED TOWARDS ANOTHER PERSON OR TO YOURSELF. Why?
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Why should one heat the upper portion of the liquid rather than the bottom?

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5. Investigating odors:
a. Many substances have characteristic odors. Some have agreeable odors while
others have disagreeable or irritating odors.
b. Be cautious in investigating odors. Some vapors, when inhaled, can be lethal.
c. Never take a direct sniff of the vapor at the mouth of the container where the
concentration of the vapor is high. (see Fig. 5)
d. When it is necessary to smell chemicals in the laboratory, cup your hand above
the container and WAFT OR FAN THE VAPOR towards your face.
e. Try not to breathe in through your nose but bring in just enough to detect the smell.

Figure 5. Proper method of investigating odors

Source: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tTC-6_keHy42cIV13xF1uJDEqpksH_IkcuymO_OAxS4zm8WFtKAjhoMvqVDLDvJEc5S0=s114

Observations:
b. Physical Separation of Components of Mixtures
Theory:
Several materials occur in the environments are mixtures like the air, the food, the
processed drinks as well as medicines. Mixtures are physical combination of two or more
substances whose identity are retained. Mixtures can be homogeneous (uniform in
composition) or heterogeneous (varying in composition). Mixtures can be physically
separated by using methods that are based on the differences in physical properties of the
substances like physical state, density, solubility, boiling and melting point and magnetic and
electrical properties. A physical separation process or technique is a method that removing
one substance from the given mixture until the mixture is fully divided the mixture into pure
constituents. These technique of separations are evaporation, decantation, filtration,
sublimation, magnetism, distillation, chromatography and any others.

1. Prepare a water bath and place on top of a Bunsen burner using clay flame shield and
wire gauze. Place the given mixture in a beaker. Place the beaker in the water bath
and cover it with a watch glass. Heat GENTLY until white crystals are clinging at the
bottom of the watch glass. Turn off the flame of the Bunsen burner. Carefully remove
watch glass making sure the crystals clinging to the watch glass are intact. Remove
the beaker from the water bath. Scrape off the crystals on the watch glass and on the
walls of the beaker and collect them on a piece of paper. Return the collected crystals
to the laboratory counter.

Questions:
a. What is the name of the substance clinging at the bottom of the watch glass and
on the walls of the beaker?
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b. Give the name of the process of separation involved in this operation.
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2. Add 50.0 mL water to the beaker containing the remaining mixture. Let it stand 2
minutes then slowly pour off the liquid to another beaker. Care must be taken to ensure
that the solid remains in the container.

Questions:
a. What is the term given to the clear liquid poured off to another beaker?
_________________________________________________________________
b. What is the term give to the solid left in the beaker?
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c. Give the name of the process of separation involved in this operation.
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3. Add 0.1 g of activated carbon to the liquid. Mix using a stirring rod. Boil for 3 minutes
by placing the beaker on top of a Bunsen burner using clay flame shield and wire
gauze. Cool and reserve for the next procedure.

Questions:
a. What changes in the appearance or color of the liquid did you observe?
________________________________________________________________
b. Give the name of the process of separation involved in this operation.
________________________________________________________________

4. Suspend a funnel into an Erlenmeyer flask.

Prepare the filter paper as shown in Figure 4.
a. Fold the filter paper into half.
b. Fold again into half to form a quarter.
c. Part the folded filter paper and tear off a small portion in one of the corners.
d. Open the filter paper forming a cone in such a way it has three layers on one
side and one layer on the other side.
e. Expand the filter paper, moisten it with water to make it stick to the side of the
funnel.

Figure 4
https://community.asdlib.org//imageandvideoexchangeforum/files/2013/07/Figure8.7.jpg

NOTE: The cone of the filter paper should always be smaller than that of the
funnel, that is, no part of the filter paper should protrude above the edge
of the funnel.

With the moistened filter paper in place, carefully pour the contents of the beaker
reserved in the previous procedure into the funnel.

(If some of the solid materials pass through the filter paper, pass the liquid through the
filter for a second time.)
 Observations:

Questions:
a. What is the term given to the clear liquid that passed through the filter paper?
_________________________________________________________________
b. Give the name of the process of separation involved in this procedure.
_________________________________________________________________
5. Transfer one – half of the clear liquid to an evaporating dish. Place the evaporating
dish with liquid on the ceramic center of the wire gauze which is placed on top of the
clay flame shield. Cover it with a watch glass. Allow the liquid to evaporate SLOWLY
until all the liquid has been evaporated and crystals are formed.

Observations:

Questions:
a. What is the term given to the solid left on the evaporating dish after heating?
_________________________________________________________________
b. What is its chemical name?
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c. What is its chemical formula?
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d. Give the name of the process of separation involved in this procedure.
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Additional Questions:
1. Enumerate three other methods of separating components of a mixture other than
those included this experiment.
a.
b.
c.
2. Using a schematic diagram, illustrate how to separate the components of a mixture
containing sand, iron fillings and potassium aluminum sulfate (tawas).
 PHYSICAL SEPARATION OF COMPONENTS OF MIXTURES

Mixture of naphthalene, salt, sand and coloring

Name of the substance (residue) left in the Name of the white crystals formed at the
beaker bottom of the bottom of the watch glass
________________________ ___________________________________

Name of the separation process

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Transfer to beaker + 50mL water. Let stand
for 5 minutes. Pour to another beaker.

Name of process
________________________

Name of supernatant liquid

________________________
Name of the substance (residue) left in the
beaker Supernatant liquid + activated carbon.
________________________ Boil for 5 minutes.
Name of process
________________________

Cool. Filter.
Name of process
________________________

Name of filtrate
________________________
Name of the substance (residue) left in the
beaker Heat
________________________ Name of process
________________________

Name of the substance (residue) left in the10

Name of the substance evaporated
beaker
________________________
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DISCUSSION OF RESULT WITH THEORY:
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EXPERIMENT:
REFERENCES: