CHEM 1310 Freshman Chemistry Program

Student Notes, Experiment 2 Fall 2015

Experiment 2: Molecules, Moles, and Chemical Reactions

Post-lab Assignment or Report

The lab report for this experiment is due at the beginning of the following lab period.

Learning Objectives
You will be able to…
• Use strong heating to liberate water from a hydrated salt.
• Use the results of a chemical reaction and stoichiometry to deduce the
molecular formula of a compound.
• Observe basic chemical reactions and translate them into balanced equations.
• Understand the relationship between conductivity and dissolved ions.
• Perform basic stoichiometry calculations, including the conversion of mass to
moles and vice versa.

Talking Points for Pre-lab Discussion

• Give a general overview of the parts of this experiment.
o Part I involves dehydration with strong heating and the use of “before”
and “after” mass measurements to determine the number of waters of
hydration in a compound.
o Part II involves observations of dissolution, precipitation, and other kinds
of chemical reactions.
• Discuss hydrated salts and dehydration in general terms. Strong heat removes
water from a hydrated salt.
MX · n H2 O(s) ! MX(s) + n H2 O(g)
Massing the solid before and after strong heating gives the mass and moles of
water lost.
• Demonstrate how to light a Bunsen burner and safe practices while heating.
• Describe the different types of reactions observed in part II: dissolution,
precipitation, and acid-base.
• Discuss safety and waste concerns for this experiment.
o Safe use of Bunsen burners and crucibles
o Proper handling and disposal of solids
o All solutions and other liquid waste goes in the liquid waste container.
Solid dehydrated salts go in the solid waste container.
• After completing part II: have pairs present one of the eleven reactions run in
part II, including the molecular equation for the reaction and important
observations.

Lab Logistics
• Students will work in pairs.
• After students have set up their crucibles and started heating, complete the
conductivity demo. Students must record their observations of this demo for
reports.

Pre-lab Rubric
Table P-1. Data for the Dehydration of Magnesium Chloride Hydrate (2 pts)
Table P-2. Data for the Dehydration of Copper Sulfate Hydrate (2 pts)
CHEM 1310 Freshman Chemistry Program
Student Notes, Experiment 2 Fall 2015

Calculation of waters of hydration in magnesium chloride hydrate (3 pts)

Calculation of waters of hydration in copper sulfate hydrate (3 pts)

Lab Report Rubric

I. Cover Sheet (5 pts)
a. Title
b. Name
c. Lab partner’s name
d. Date
e. Honor pledge

II. Data and Results (see data tables) (52 pts)

a. Data tables and plots

III. Discussion (28 pts)

a. Objectives
i. State the objectives of part I of the experiment. (3 pts)
ii. State the objectives of part II of the experiment. (3 pts)
b. Discussion of Part I
i. Describe the method of thermal dehydration in general terms. (3
pts)
ii. Identify your unknown solid. Explain how your data implies the
identity of the solid. (3 pts)
iii. If applicable, describe errors relevant to this part of the
experiment. Argue for the relevance of these errors. (2 pts)
c. Discussion of Part II
i. Discuss the results of the conductivity demo. What does the
observed brightness of the light bulb tell you about the nature of
each solution at the molecular level? (2 pts)
ii. Comment on the correspondence of your observations of solubility
with established solubility rules. (2 pts)
iii. If applicable, describe errors relevant to this part of the
experiment. Argue for the relevance of these errors. (2 pts)
d. Discussion Questions
i. Epsomite (MgSO4.7H2O) has been found on Mars. If the minimum
amount of water needed to sustain a human life is 1.0 kg/day,
how much epsomite would be required to sustain four astronauts
for one week? (4 pts)
ii. How did you know a reaction was occurring in part II? (4 pts)

IV. References (5 pts)

a. Reference to the lab manual in ACS format
b. Any other references used, with in-text citations
(http://library.williams.edu/citing/styles/acs.php#intext) where they are
relevant
CHEM 1310 Freshman Chemistry Program
Student Notes, Experiment 2 Fall 2015

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the “conductivity demo”?
The point of this demonstration is to use conductivity to illustrate the difference
between “ionic” solutions in which the solute dissociates and “covalent” solutions in
which the solute does not dissociate. Take conductivity measurements of 0.1 M HCl,
0.1 M acetic acid and 0.1 M sucrose solutions. The light should glow brightly for
solutions containing fully dissociated solutes (HCl), faintly for solutions containing
partially dissociated solutes (HOAc), and not at all for solutions containing solutes
that are dissolved but not dissociated (sucrose).

Try to make a connection between conductivity, the number of ions in solution, and
the molecular details of dissolution.