Group No. ( 4 ) Ex. No.

(5) Date :- 29/10/2008

Exp. name:-Stoichmetry (II)

Objective:- Empirical Formula OF an Ionic Compound

-:Introduction
There are many ways in chemistry to represent chemical. Compounds. The
empirical and molecular formulas are the most common ways encountered in general
.chemistry courses
The empirical formulas is defined as the simplest whole number ratio of atoms in
,the compound. The molecular formula
Being a multiplication of the empirical formula. Gives the exact
Number of combining atoms in a given compound. Example is the empirical formula
of glucose (CH2O) that has the molecular
Formula 6*(CH2O) = C6H12O2. The empirical formula determination is the first step
in the identification process of new compounds. It can be determined experimentally
by to methods. either through the analysis ( decomposition) method or by the
synthesis method. In the chemical analysis method, a known weight of the unknown
compound is combusted and the weights of the products are determined. Weights
obtained are then converted to moles of elements present in the original sample. From
the number of moles of each element, the empirical formula is obtained. Consider the
:following example

Theory: - The empirical formula of a compound tells us the types of atoms

present in a compound as well as the simplest whole-number ratio of the
different types of atoms. The empirical formula does not tell us the actual
number of atoms in the molecule. For example, the molecular formula of the
compound butane is C4H10. This formula tells us that one molecule of butane
contains four carbon atoms and ten hydrogen atoms. The empirical formula of
butane, on the other hand, is C2H5, since the simplest whole-number ratio of
carbon to hydrogen atoms in the compound is 2 to 5.

:Example: (1)
Nicotine is a compound containing C, H and N. A sample weighing 2.50g of this
compound is burned and produced 6.78g of CO2, 1.94g of H2O, and 0.43g of N2.
?What is the empirical formula of this compound

:Solution
Mol of C = Mol of CO2= 6.78g/44.0g/mol = 0.154 mol C
Mol of H = 2*mol H2O = 2*1.94g/18.0g/mol = 0.216 mol H
Mol of N = 2*N2 = 2*0.43g/28.0g/mol = 0.031 mol N
.The empirical formula is C 0.154/0.031 H 0.216/0.031 N 0.031/0.031 = C5H7N
In the synthesis method, as will be done in this experiment, a known weight of a
nonmetal. The weighs of product nonmetal are obtained and then used to determine
the empirical formula of the compound. In this experiment, a weighted amount of
magnesium oxide. From the masses of the starting materials and product, the
.empirical formula magnesium oxide is determined

:Materials and equipment

.Crucible and cover. ; clay triangle
.Balance. ; Tongs
.Magnesium turnings. ; Iron ring
.Stand and clamps. ; Desiccators

:Procedure

Obtain crucible and cover from your instructor and clean them thoroughly with .1
.soap and water then dry them
Heat the clean dry crucible and cover over Bunsen burner to redness ( refer to .2
.figure 5.1 for the correct assembly )
Allow the set to cool in its position for one minute, then using tongs, place the .3
.crucible and cover in a desiccators and allow them to cool to room temperature
.Weigh the empty crucible without cover .4
.Note: At this stage, the crucible should be handled with tongs only
.put about 0.25g of magnesium turnings in the crucible and weigh again .5
Construct the set up in ( figure 5.1 ) covering the crucible completely this time. .6
Heat gently at the beginning. Take care to lift the cover partially in order to introduce
.oxygen occasionally to the reaction mixture
Note: Do note open the crucible widely, otherwise magnesium will burn brightly. If
.this happens, cover the crucible immediately
Continue heating until all magnesium is converted to ash, then remove the cover .7
.and heat the opened crucible to redness
cool the crucible in position for few minutes, add few drops of water to decompose .8
any magnesium nitride ( Mg3N2 ) formed
.During heating. Notice the production of any gas and smell
Reheat the opened crucible contents until the ash is completely dry ( notice any .9
.color changes )
.cool the crucible and contents as done in step3, then weigh again .10
Reheat the crucible and contents for another tow minutes then allow cooling as .11
done in the previous step, then weighting again. The values obtained in steps 10 and
11 should note differ more than 0.05g. If the difference is greater than 0.05g, repeat
.step ( 11 ) until you achieve constant mass
:Tabulate your data as following .12

Unit *******
Mass of empty crucible. 16.66 gm
Mass of crucible + magnesium turnings. 16.87 gm
Mass of Mg. 0.21 gm
Moles of Mg. 0.00864 mol
Mass of crucible + magnesium oxide. 16.98 gm
.Mass of magnesium oxide
Mass of oxygen used. 0.32 gm
Moles of oxygen. 0.11 mol
Ratio of Mg : O. ( 1 : 1)
.Empirical formula of magnesium oxide

Post-Laboratory Questions
:How would calculated empirical formula of magnesium oxide be affected if .1
?a. If incomplete dehydration was done after water was added
b. You forget to perform step (9) and hence didn't get rid of magnesium nitride
.formed Mg3N2
.c. If magnesium was note allowed to react completely with oxygen
Write a balanced chemical equation that represents the formation of magnesium .2
.nitride
?How can you get rid of the by-product formed in this experiment .3
.Write balanced chemical equations
.List the errors that might have occurred during this experiment .4