Chemistry: Solutions

Inquiry Question
Mystery! Do a bit of forensic analysis to find the identities
of seven ionic solutions and one distilled water sample.

Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________

You have yourself a mystery!

During the course of a laboratory cleanup, some people were extra efficient cleaning dust off
bottles on the shelf… so efficient that they have wiped the sharpie marker writing clean off the
bottle leaving you with eight clear, colourless solutions that you need to identify. To solve this
mystery, you will need to put your chemistry skills to the test.

In addition to solving this mystery, you need to show your process/matrix used to determine
the identity of each solution. You also need to provide evidence for each identification so that
your work can be verified. Remember, the goal of this lab is to safely identify seven clear,
colourless, odourless, mystery ionic solutions and one distilled water sample.

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Chemistry: Solutions

You will:
• research each chemical in the list and product properties of each
solution. Be specific (including pH).
• design a matrix to test each solution’s interaction with every other
solution and predict the products of that mixing. For any combination
you think will react, provide your predicted balanced chemical reaction.
• identify the contents of one bottle using your predicted result.
• answer questions about the results and concepts.

Introduction:
You are very fortunate! The lab inventory included the following chemicals in the lab. These
are the only eight chemicals not specifically accounted for in the cleanup and there are eight
containers with clear, colourless, odourless solutions with no labels:

0.5 M Ammonium Chloride 0.2 M Silver Nitrate

1.0 M Hydrochloric Acid 1.0 M Sodium Hydroxide
0.1 M Lead (II) Nitrate 0.5 M Sodium Carbonate
0.2 M Potassium Iodide Distilled Water

Though this situation should never happen, we can fix it by identifying which bottle contains
which chemical solution. There are many possible ways to help identify the solutions in the
containers. Two ways we have looked at in this course include:

A. Precipitation – a few drops of one solution with a few drops of another can result in a
precipitate forming. You can use your solubility table to predict the outcome. If the
prediction shows that both products will precipitate, work with the least soluble first
and use other testing to help complete your prediction.

e.g. Pb(NO3)2(aq) + 2NaCl(aq) -> 2NaNO3(aq) + PbCl2(s)

Net ionic equation: Pb+2(aq) + 2Cl-(aq) -> PbCl2(s)

B. Acid Base Reactions – From unit 4 we learned acids tend to lose an H+ while bases tend
to accept H+. When both acids and bases are present, they may react with an acid-base
neutralization reaction producing a salt and water.
e.g. HNO3(aq) + LiOH(aq) -> LiNO3(aq) + H2O(l)

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Chemistry: Solutions

Materials:
8 test tubes
Sample spot plate
8 eye droppers
Litmus Paper
Indicators from your acid base indicator chart in the Chemistry 12 Data Booklet
8 aqueous solutions
Chemistry 12 Data Booklet (including Solubility of Common Compounds in Water Table)

Procedure:

NOTE:

This activity involves planning a course of action BEFORE attempting to do a lab. (You do NOT
need to actually run this experiment – but you DO need to plan your approach).

Reminder of the situation:

• You have seven clear, colourless, odourless aqueous ionic solutions and one sample of
distilled water
• The bottles had their written label accidentally washed off.
• You know which chemicals are possible.
• Plan how to correctly identify each bottle’s contents.
• Justify how each solution would be identified with specific observations you are looking
for and why they would help distinguish one solution from another.

A. Beginning Organization:
1. Write the chemical formula and dissociation in water equation for each sample.
2. What observations can you predict that would help with the identification for each
sample ?
3. Research online any characteristics of the chemicals you have to work with and how they
behave in solutions.
4. Calculate the estimated pH for each separate solution. Explain your reasoning for each.
5. Are you able to identify any solutions specifically at this point? Which ones?
6. Of the ones you think you can identify at this point, is there any further test you would
like to perform to confirm your answer? Explain what information it would provide that
confirms the identity of the sample.
7. For the ones you could not fully identify, what was the issue? What sort of information
would help you?

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Chemistry: Solutions

B. Interactions with each solution:

1. Plan out a reaction grid to test the reaction of each solution with each other solution
a. Ammonium chloride + hydrochloric acid ->
b. Ammonium chloride + lead (II) nitrate ->
c. Etc.

A table can help greatly. This is one example:

Ammonium Hydrochloric Lead (II) Nitrate Etc.

Chloride Acid
Ammonium
Chloride
Hydrochloric
Acid
Lead (II) Nitrate
Etc.

Though you do not know which bottle is which solution, you can test bottle 1 with bottle 2
using drops on the spot plate and comparing the results to expected results from your reaction
matrix. There are many other ways to organize your data as well. It is up to you for how you
will approach this.

2. For each reaction looked at:

a. Predict the product of the reaction.
b. Would this reaction cause a change in pH? (Increase? Decrease? Stay same?)
Can you predict what the pH might become? (Can you support it with
calculations?)
c. Predict if energy may be released in this reaction.
d. Predict if a precipitate might be formed. Using your laboratory and chemical
knowledge (and online search if needed), predict what the precipitate may look
like. Remember, this work completed in advance will help you to identify each
solution more efficiently.

3. Can you identify each solution now?

4. Are there any you are struggling with? What information would be needed to confirm
your prediction for the solutions?
5. What tests do you still need to do?
6. Optional: Make a graphical organiser tool (one example is a dichotomous key) to help
you efficiently identify your samples. E.g. test 1 separates into 1 sample and the rest or
2 separate groups. As an example, you could begin with “pH test” which separate into
‘pH is neutral” and “pH is not neutral”. On the “not neutral” side, you can separate into

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Chemistry: Solutions

acidic and into basic. After each branch, you ask another question until it yields one
answer.

Further Questions:
1. Would any of the solutions generate heat when they were mixed together? Would the
reaction be endothermic or exothermic?

2. Would any of the reactions change pH after mixing 1.00 mL of each together. Explain

3. Would it have been better to have each of the substances as solids to react or aqueous
solution? Why?

4. Which solution(s) are the hardest to identify? Why?

5. What tests would you like to add to improve your chances of correctly identifying each
solution?

Thinking Ahead:
You have an opportunity to make your own mystery lab with 6 solutions that would be
commonly available in your school’s lab.

Try to choose chemicals that are:

• coloured or make coloured products
• will react to form heat or feel colder while they occur.
• Will produce bubbles or precipitates

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