Testing

Contaminated Soil
Oxides are chemical compounds that contain oxygen bonded to at least one other
element. The Earth’s crust contains many oxides, including quartz SiO2(s), a common component
of sand; corundum, Al2O3(s), an aluminum ore; and hematite, or rust, Fe2O3(s). Many of these
elements are essential to modern society. Through mining many resources are retrieved
however this can have a significant impact on the land.
The process of mining must first remove the compounds from the earth, excavation. The
materials must then be purified to obtain the desired element, extraction. Extraction is designed
by an engineer that determines a profitable process. During the excavation and extraction the
land may become contaminated with hazardous materials. Some of these substances are soluble
which contaminate the ground water while others stay in the soil for decades. The contaminated
land and water pose a threat to human health.
Environmentalists are tasked with the remediation or decontamination of the land once the
mining has stopped. There are 4 main ways to achieve this:
1. Total clean up: the complete excavation or removal of the soil
2. Do nothing: Restrict the area so humans will not be impacted
3. Ground Cover: cover the land in a material that will not allow the contaminates to
escape (ex concrete)
4. Treat the soil: treatment of the soil uses physical, chemical or biological processes to
eliminate contaminates. This is usually the most expensive option.
a. Physical: flushing the soil with large volumes of liquid (water, acids, bases or
detergents). The fluid is then collected and treated.
b. Chemical Treatment:
i. Using chemical reactions the contaminates may be converted to a more
stable form (Stabilization or oxidation)
ii. Electrodes are used to attract and trap metal ions (Electrolysis)
c. Bioremediation: using living things to remove the contaminants (plans or
animals). Some plants are able to store 1% of their weight in metals
which can then be retrieved by harvesting and burning the plant.
In this investigation your group will create a procedure to test the oxides present at a
contaminated site. A field technician has flushed the soil with water and collected a sample.
Using this sample you should first determine if the compound is a metal or nonmetal oxide.
From there single displacement or double displacement reactions can be used to determine the
ions present. Reading a mining report you determine the only possible oxides are Sulfur
trioxide, chlorine monoxide, Lead (II) oxide and sodium oxide.

You will determine the contaminants in the soil by writing and carrying out a procedure. Your
results will then be summarized into a report for the company to use as a reference.
Part 1: Metal or Non-metal Oxide
Pre-Lab Analysis (these questions will help you make a hypothesis and procedure)
1. Write a balanced chemical equation to represent the reaction between the non-metal
oxide in water as well as the metal oxide in water.
- SO3(s) + H2O(l)  H2SO4(aq)
- ClO(g) + H2O(l)  2HClO(aq)
- PbO(s) + H2O(l)  Pb(OH)2(s)
- Na2O(s) + H2O(l)  2NaOH(aq)
-
2. What can you conclude about aqueous solutions of non-metal and metal oxides?
- The oxides of non-metals are acidic. If a non-metal oxide dissolves in water, it
will form an acid. The non-metal oxides can be neutralized with a base to form
salt and water. The aqueous solution of metal oxides is that it turns red litmus blue
as the aqueous solutions of metal oxide are basic in nature.
3. How would you test the acidity of an aqueous solution?
- To test the acidity of an aqueous solution you would use the acid-base indicator it
is quick and very reliable as it finds the solution pH. You must place 3 drops of
acid-base indicator and watch for instant color change. The color change indicates
the acidic characteristics.
4. Why is it important to wear safety eyewear throughout this investigation?
- It is important to wear safety eyewear throughout this investigation because it
keeps your eyes safe from the solutions as they are acidic and can cause heavy
damage to your eyes. Even a little splash or accidentally touching your eyes can
cause irritation.

Plan and Conduct

1. With your group, design an investigation to test the acidity of non-metal oxides and
metal oxides in aqueous solutions.
2. Design a table to record your data. Give your table an appropriate title.

Materials:
- Test Tube
- Acid-Base Indicator
- A stick to stir
INVESTIGATION OF ACIDITY IN NON-METAL AND METAL OXIDES

Sulfur - Add 200ml of sulfur trioxide into the test tube

trioxide - Add distilled water 400ml into the graduated
cylinder then test tube and stir
- Add a few drops of it onto the acid-base indicator
and mix it
 - add 3 drops of acid-base indicator
- Stir for ten seconds
chlorine - Add 400ml of distilled water in a graduated cylinder
monoxide then into the test tube
- Suck up chlorine gas and put it with the water which
is in the test tube
- Cover with your thumb
- Then firmly shake
Lead (II) - 4g into the solution
oxide - Add a fair amount of 400ml water into the graduated
cylinder
- Stir for 10 seconds
- There will be little bits which are mixed-use those
for acid-base indicator
sodium - Add 4g of sodium oxide into a graduated cylinder
oxide and then of it into the tube
- Add 400ml of distilled water into a graduated
cylinder and then into a test tube
- Stir for ten seconds
- Add 3 drops into the acid-base indicator

Unknown - Pour about 200ml of solution in

Observation of
Color (Blue/purple
= base)
Acid or base
Is it non-metal or
metal off acid or
base (acid = non-
metal and base =
metal)
graduated cylinder then into a
test tube
- Then stir with a stick to mix
- From there add 3 drops of acid-
base indicator
- Wait for color change
- The color change is purple
- It is base
- It is metal since it is a base

- The unknown is sodium hydroxide as it a base and metal making it color change
to purple.

Suggested Materials
 Acid-base indicator  Anything else you feel you need
 Test tubes
Part 2: Identity of Oxide
Pre-Lab Analysis (these questions will help you make a hypothesis and procedure)
1. How can you determine if an ion is present in a solution?
- You can determine if an ion is present in a solution by doing a flame test. Flame
tests are used to identify the presence of a relatively small number of metal ion
compounds. Not all the metal ions give flame colors. The flame test gives a
reliable useful hint as to where to look at. When you excite an atom by strong
heating, the electrons can be prompted from their normal unexcited into higher
orbital states. As they come back down to lower levels, energy is released as light.
Each of these jumps has a specific number amount of energy being released as
light energy and each corresponds to a particular wavelength. Which has a
spectrum of lines produced and some will be visible in part of the spectrum. For
example, in sodium ions, the jumps involved high energies and result in lines in
the UV part of the spectrum which you cannot see with bare eyes. In a hot flame,
a bit of the sodium ions regains their electrons to make neutral sodium atoms
again.

2. What compound(s) will enable you to differentiate between the remaining

options?
- H2SO4(aq) + Ni(s)  H2(g) + Ni2(SO4)3(aq)
- Balanced = 3H2SO4 + 2Ni  3H2 + Ni2(SO4)3 – It is single displacement – it is
a non-metal
- HClO + Ni  no reaction
- Pb(OH)2 + F2  no reaction
- NaOH(aq) + F2(g)  NaF(aq) + O2(g) + H2O(l)
- Balanced = 4NaOH(aq) + 2F2(g)  4NaF(aq) + O2(g) + 2H2O(l) – it is double
displacement and is a metal
- As you can see we have two options left one is metal and the other is non-metal
Plan and Conduct
1. With your group, design an investigation to test the identity of the ions present.
2. Design a table to record your data. Give your table an appropriate title.
Materials Required
- Contaminated soil solution
- A Bunsen Burner
- A Wooden Splint

Procedure:
- Make sure you have lit the Bunsen Burner
- Then take a wooden splint and dip into the contaminated soil solution
 - From there hold the wooden splint in the flame and observe what color it changes
- From there you will be able to identity the possible oxide
- The table below shows what u need to do to find possible oxide and it is the same
for each
Oxides INVESTIGATION OF IONS PRESENT
Sulfur trioxide - Take a stick and dip it in the solution
- Make sure the bunsen burner is on
- Put it above the flame
- Wait for the color change
Chlorine - Take a stick and dip it in the solution
Monoxide - Make sure the bunsen burner is on
- Put it above the flame
- Wait for the color change
Lead (II) Oxide - Take a stick and dip it in the solution
- Make sure the bunsen burner is on
- Put it above the flame
- Wait for the color change
Sodium Oxide - Take a stick and dip it in the solution
- Make sure the bunsen burner is on
- Put it above the flame
- Wait for the color change

Observations Answer
Contaminated Soil - The Bunsen - It is sodium
Burner flame hydroxide
is initially blue because the
- When you color of the
place the wood flame
splint above represents this
the Bunsen oxide.
Burner the - The ions
flame became present are
orange. Sodium Na+

Suggested Materials
 Test Tubes  Anything else you feel you need
 Solution

Conclusion (Report)
A summary report for the company identifying the contaminant, how this was determined
(your procedure), if there is any improvements that should be done during retesting and steps the
company should take to treat the soil.
You will be handing in: Prelab questions, materials, procedure, observations and the conclusion
report as a group.

To: Avey, Heather

From: Jivitesh Sharma

Field: Investigation and Research

Date: 2022-03-27

Soil Contaminant Report

Good afternoon, after consulting and doing the procedures, I have found out that the contaminant
in the soil was sodium hydroxide. Initially, to find containment I first conducted an acid-base indicator
test, this would help us identify if it is metal or non-metal, and if it is a base or acid along with the color
change, we can also identify which one is contaminated. So initially we took the solution put it into a
graduated cylinder which was an absolute of 200ml from there knowing I have the perfect measurement I
placed it into the test tube. I then took the acid-base indicator and added only three drops into the test
tube, then took a stick which I mixed for a faster result which gave us purple. From there we pulled out a
chart which had listed the types of colors saying purple is a base and a base is a metal from there we
know out of the four it is only two are two metals. Then we researched and found out that sodium
hydroxide does represent purple, and we figured out the unknown. Also, for the flame test, we need to
identify the ions present, to do that we can use single or double displacement, which is an effective way,
but a flame test is very easily identified since the flame is so recognizable. From that solution, which was
purple, we took a stick dipped it in, and then put it above the Bunsen burner which led it to be orangish
and yellow. This color clearly represents the sodium ions present which is Na+ and that was very easily
identified which gave us another reason to believe sodium hydroxide is the answer. Some steps that need
to be taken during retest would be using the single and double displacement for the ions present, we need
to make sure that there are two reliable sources the company can rely on, it will only benefit the company
and everyone else. The process I used was very fast process but very much reliable, but I hope that during
the retest you will use the same procedure to make sure my procedure works, along with using different
options so we can connect different views and methods. As a bit of professional advice, from a couple of
years in this career, I hope that you will take the steps that I provide to treat the soil is by taking it all out
and replacing it with new soil, it will take a whole lot of time to go one section by one to treat the soil, it
also spreads very fast in the soil just like water because it was an aqueous solution if it was a solid we
could have dispersed it with another chemical but it has spread into the roots of the soil. Make sure that
you take the soil apart put new soil and will be careful this time as you know the contaminant. From there
you can take the contaminated soil into a lab to discover how to hundred percent treat it, this way if it
happens next time, you can use the same procedure. It is also a mine which is very huge because it is deep
in the ground and we put any chemicals in it then it will affect something and at some point, you must
excavate the soil because it is aqueous. This way you have a better chance of complete removal. If you
want to treat the soil, you can use methods of Electrolysis, Stabilization, and chemical oxidization but
most are not eco-friendly, are not hundred percent guaranteed to work, and are expensive. Solidification
can’t be an option because sodium will stay there, and that precipitate could react with water and dissolve
back with sodium. It also cannot be physical because a specific acid must be added, and this can create
more problems as it may react with other compounds. It cannot be left alone because then it can spread
much more even with the rain. We also cannot cover it because it is a mine, and a lot of work needs to be
done since it is a mine and workers work there. Overall, my procedures are listed above but this report
summarizes for an easy understanding, I hope the situation gets resolved and your soil becomes good as
new, if you have any more problem my contact is below.

Phone Number: 647-322-7865

Email: Jiviteshs04@gmail.com

Location: Ontario, Brampton L7AOZ9