LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SCC 201 669B(43891)

GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

DETERMINING THE EMPIRICAL FORMULA OF A HYDRATE

Student: Yemili Goodridge

Group Members:
Bishundat, Alvin
Estupinan, Alexander
Jean-Louis, Justanley
Kokoszka, Kamila
Mejia, Anthony

Instructor: Professor Kevin Mark

April 2, 2022

1
TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION 3

PROCEDURE 4

DATA 4-6

2
INTRODUCTION

In this experiment were are going to test and evaluate the bonding properties of an

ionic hydrates and and the empirical formula of chemical compound identitied as BaCI₂

(Barium chloride). An Ionic compound is a when an inion and cataion element combine. A

hydrate is a compound that takes water molecules from its environment and incorporates

them into its structure. The water molecules can remain intact inside the compound or broken

down partially into their different components. Hydrates are divided into three categories:

inorganic hydrates, organic hydrates, and gas hydrates. Inorganic hydrates are generated

when the compound is being heated. In organic hydrate, the compound reacts chemically

with the water, and gas hydrate is a solid composed of molecules occupying cage-like

structures created by water molecules. The empirical formula of a compound shows the ratio

of elements present in the compound, but not the actual numbers of atoms found in the

molecule. The overall goal of the experiment to determine how many water molecules or

percent are in an ionic hydrate.

3
PROCEDURE
Materials and Instructions for lab experiments can be found on pages 37 and 38 of the SCC

201 General Chemistry I Laboratory Manual.

DATA

Part A: Heating the Crucible to Constant Mass

Mass (g) of empty crucible:

After first heating and cooling 19.115g

After second heating and cooling 19.114g

After third heating and cooling 19.112g

Part B: Determining the Hydrate’s Water Content

Identification code: BaCI₂ (Barium chloride)

Mass (g) of crucible + sample 19.0829g + 1.0022g = 20.0851g

After first heating and cooling 19.9450g

After second heating and cooling 19.9404g

After third heating and cooling 19.9442g

Calculating the constat mass loss from the last heating and cooling cycles:

20.0851g - 19.9450g = 0.1401g

19.9450g - 19.9404g = 0.0046g

Determining the mass percent of water:

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠, 𝑔

Mass percent of water, % = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑔
𝑥100

0.1401𝑔
= 1.0022𝑔
𝑥100

= 13.98% of H₂o

4
Mass of anhydrous compound

1.0022 g - 0.1401 g = 0.8621 g

Number of molar mass of anhydrous compound:

BaCI₂

= 137.327 amu + 35.45 (2) amu

= 137.327 amu + 70.9 amu

= 208.2 g/mol

Number of moles of anhydrous compound:

0.8621 𝑔
208.2 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙
= 0. 0041 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑎𝐶𝐼₂

Number of moles of water loss in sample

0.1401 𝑔 𝐻₂𝑂 1 𝑚𝑜𝑙

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙
x 18 𝑔 𝐻₂𝑂
= 0.0078 g

Ratio of moles of water/by moles of anhydrous compound

0.0078 𝑔
0.0041 𝑔
= 1.90 g ≈ 2

Chemical formula of ionic hydrate

= BaCI₂ · 2H₂O

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

During the experiment, it was important to heat the crucible to a constant mass to be

able to get rid of all the water molecules in the compound of BaCI₂ (Barium chloride). As the

crucible gets heated and loses water molecules, it also loses mass. Looking at the table for

part A, the crucible mass was decreasing as the cycle of heating, cooling, and weighting was

repeated for 3 trials. But, in the table for part B, when the crucible was heated and cooled

5
down with the content in it at repeated cycles, the first trial had a mass loss of 0.1401g

compared with its initial mass + sample, in the second trial it had a mass loss of 0.0046g

compared with the first trial, and in the third trial it had a mass loss of -0.0038g compared

with the second trial. Some of the reasons why the mass of water lose were not constant was

because of sources of error, such as the fingerprints of a group member on the crucible which

may have caused more weight, the crucible fell on the wire mat or the table and it opened

multiple times allowing moist to come in, not letting the crucible cool down with the top on it

which would allow moisture to come in also, and not grabbing the crucible correctly with

tongs and allowing the top to open while it was being measured.

The balanced equation for BaCI₂ · 2H₂O = BaCI₂ + 2H₂ O

Structural diagram of balance equation