FINDING A UNKNOWN COMPOUND

Mole as a unit of measurement

A mole is an element used in chemistry to measure the amount of a substance. It

indicates a specific quantity of particles, such as molecules, atoms, or ions in a
specimen.

One mol (usually abbreviated as mol) is defined as the amount of substance that
contains exactly

6.022×1023 6.022×1023

entities. This number is named after Avogadro and is one of the essential constants
in chemistry because it represents how many atoms are equivalent to 12 grams of
carbon-12.

The main thing chemists apply when calculating the mass of a substance connected
with the number of its molecules or atoms is a mole concept. Hence, the molar
mass (A mass of one mole of that substance) numerically equals atomic or
molecular weight expressed in grams.

The mole allows chemists to use it as a unit for measuring substances during
calculations involving stoichiometry (the quantitative relationship between
reactants and products in a chemical reaction), concentrations expressed in
solutions, etc.

To sum up, the importance of moles and molar masses lies in their ability to
quantify whatever is being investigated be it chemical reactions or properties
through facilitating understanding about amounts by which they occur so that
quantitative analysis can be made easy.
 Molar Volume and its relationship

Molar volume is related closely to the mole unit in chemistry. The mole is a basic
unit that measures anything, and molar volume is about how much a gas occupies
based on some moles at certain temperature as well as pressure.

Avogadro’s law explains the relation between molar volume and the mole unit: If
two different gasses (at the same temperature and pressure) are compared, they will
have an equal number of molecules occupying equal volumes. This implies that at
similar conditions such as STP, any ideal gas will have the same molar volume no
matter what it is made up of.

At standard temperature and pressure (STP), which is defined as 1 atmosphere of

pressure at 0 degrees Celsius or 273.15 Kelvin, one mole of any ideal gas equals
approximately 22.4 liters. The origin for this equation lies in Avogadro’s law
because all gasses contain identical numbers particles by this point (number,

6.022×10

23

people) under these particular circumstances.

Therefore, a gas’ molar volume under STP conditions may be defined as the
volume occupied by one mole of that gas. The molar volume shows how many
moles of a gas can occupy a certain space at specific temperature and pressure
values, which is useful to chemists in solving various problems such as finding out
how much gas is formed or used up during chemical reactions.

How to find unknown compounds in simple lab tests

It typically involves several systematic examinations and tests of the physical and
chemical properties of a compound to identify an unknown substance in the
laboratory. Here’s how to go about identifying an unknown compound.
Physical Properties:

Observation: Start by looking at its appearance; color, texture, smell and even
whether it is solid, liquid or gas.

Melting Point And Boiling Point: Get to know the melting point and boiling point
if possible. The values can be compared with known data on different compounds
for some form of clue as to what it could be.

Solubility: Try dissolving the compound in various solvents such as water, ethanol,
acetone etc. This will tell you something about its polarity, or how “water-loving”
it is.

Chemical Properties And Reactions:

Acid-Base Properties: Test how the compound reacts with acids and bases. Some
compounds behave differently depending on whether they are acidic or basic.

Chemical Reactions: Perform a number of chemical tests like precipitation

reactions; combustion reactions or reactions with certain reagents that are known to
give specific products from given compounds. For instance reactions involving
silver nitrate; sodium hydroxide or acidified potassium permanganate can provide
some useful information.

Functional groups: This involves carrying out particular tests so as to identify

functional groups present therein. Some examples include presence of alcohols;
aldehydes and ketones

Finding its percentage

Determining the percentage of an unknown compound typically involves

conducting a chemical analysis or experiment to find the amount of the unknown
substance in a sample. There are several methods to determine the percentage
composition of a compound, depending on the nature of the compound and
available equipment.
Here's a general approach using an example scenario:

Example Scenario:
Suppose you have a mixture containing an unknown compound and other known
substances. To find the percentage of the unknown compound in the mixture, you
can follow these steps:

Method 1: Gravimetric Analysis

Isolation: If possible, isolate the unknown compound from the mixture using a
suitable chemical separation method, such as precipitation, extraction, or
filtration.
Weighing: Weigh the isolated unknown compound.
Calculate Percentage:
● Determine the total weight of the mixture.
● Calculate the percentage of the unknown compound using the
formula:
● Percentage of unknown compound=(Weight of unknown
compoundTotal weight of the mixture)×100%
● Percentage of unknown compound=(Total weight of the
mixture/Weight of unknown compound)×100%

Method 2: Titration
Titration: If the unknown compound is a soluble substance, you can perform a
titration by reacting it with a known reagent to determine its concentration.
Calculations: Once you find the concentration of the unknown compound
solution, use stoichiometry to calculate the amount of the compound present
in the original mixture.
Calculate Percentage:
● Calculate the mass of the unknown compound based on its
concentration and volume used in the titration.
● Determine the percentage using the formula mentioned in Method 1.

Method 3: Spectroscopic Analysis

Use Spectroscopy: Employ techniques like mass spectrometry, infrared
spectroscopy, or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to analyze the
unknown compound's structure or its unique spectral characteristics.
Comparison: Compare the obtained data with known standards or reference
spectra to quantify the amount of the unknown compound.
 Calculate Percentage:
● Once you have quantified the unknown compound, use the same
formula mentioned in Method 1 to determine its percentage in the
mixture.
For example, a substance obtained from a natural source could be an unknown
compound that has been synthesized through a process with an unknown
composition or a compound isolated from a complex mixture whose identity is not
yet known.

An example to consider:

Unknown Compound: “X”

Suppose there is a sample marked as “X” and you want to know its percentage in a
mixture.

A situation:

In the mixture are compounds A, B and unknown X. We are interested in finding

out what percentage of the mixture is compound X.

Steps to Take for Determining the Percentage of Compound X:

1. Separation:

Choose an appropriate method that will help separate all compounds except x from
one another. For example if x cannot dissolve in some particular solvent, then
extraction can be performed on it so as to obtain it separately.

2. Weighing:

After separation weigh compound x alone.

3. Calculating percent composition:

Obtain the mass of the entire solution.

4. Use this formula: %

Percentage of X = ( weight of compound X / Total weight of the mixture ) * 100 %

So let us say after isolating and weighing, you find that the weight of compound x
equals 2 g while that of the original mixture is 10g.

Therefore, the percentage composition for compound x in this mixture would be:
%

Percentage of X = (2 grams / 10 grams)

The original mixture contains compound X at a 20% concentration.

In this example, an unknown substance by the name “X” is separated and its
percentage in a mixture is ascertained by isolating it and weighing it subsequently
relative to the total weight of the mixture.

Percent Composition By Mass