C.

TEST FOR WATER IN ALCOHOLS

 PURPOSE:
TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE OF WATER IN A 95% ETHANOL
SOLUTION AND IN A PURE ALCOHOL SOLUTION WITH THE USE OF
COPPER SULFATE.

 PRINCIPLE INVOLVED IN THE TEST

MINERAL HYDRATION: AN INORGANIC CHEMICAL REACTION
WHERE WATER ADDS TO THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF A
MINERAL WHICH RESULTS TO A NEW MINERAL, CALLED A
HYDRATE.

 TYPE OF REACTION:
THE TYPE OF REACTION IS THE HYDRATION OF THE COPPER
SULFATE WITH THE USE OF WATER.

 OBSERVATIONS:

BEFORE AFTER WITH 95% WITH

HEATING HEATING ALCOHOL ABSOLUTE WITH WATER
ALCOHOL

Initial Color:
Blue Grey-ish White Blue-ish Green Grey-ish White Blue-ish
  COMPOUND RESPONSIBLE FORTHE VISIBLE RESULT

THE COMPOUND THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE

VISIBLE RESULT IS THE WATER {H2O}. BASED, ON MY OBSERVATIONS,
THE INITIAL COLOR OF THE COPPER SULFATE IS BLUE. RIGHT AFTER
WE HEATED THE COPPER SULFATE, IT TURNED INTO A GREY-ISH WHITE
COLOR. WHEN 95% ALCOHOL WAS MIXED WITH THE BURNED COPPER
SULFATE, THE MIXTURE TURNED INTO A BLUE-ISH GREEN COLOR.
WHEN MIXED WITH THE PURE ALCOHOL, NOTHING HAPPENED. WHEN
WATER WAS ADDED TO THE PURE ALCOHOL, THE MIXTURE TURNED
INTO A BLUE-ISH COLOR.

 TYPE OF EQUATION INVOLVED:

Anhydrous salt + H2O Hydrous salt

 SAMPLE EQUATION USING A SAMPLE THAT GAVE A POSITIVE RESULT:

CuSO4 + 5H2O CuSO4 · 5H2O

1. What is meant by absolute alcohol? How do you differentiate it from 95%

alcohol? What is being detected by this test?

Absolute alcohol means that though it is in liquid form, the whole solution is only
composed of alcohol molecules and nothing else. It is different from 95% Ethanol
because 95% ethanol is a solution which contains 2 different molecules, water molecules
and ethanol molecules. That is why it is called 95% ethanol because the whole solution
contains 95% ethanol and 5% water. This test detects if water is present in alcohols. As
you can see in the result, we can see that when 95% ethanol was mixed with the copper
sulfate changes in color occurred. When the copper sulfate was mixed with pure alcohol,
nothing happened. When water was added to the mixture, it turned into a sky blue color.
At the beginning, copper sulfate had a blue color. This means that water was present.
When we heated it, it turned into a grey-ish white color. When 95% ethanol was added,
it changed in color which means that the copper sulfate absorbed the water. When
absolute alcohol was added, nothing happened because water is not present in the
alcohol. When water was added, changes in color occurred and the mixture turned into a
light blue color. This means that the copper sulfate was hydrated because of the
presence of water.