AP Le Chateliers Inquiry Lab

Pre-lab:
Part [A] Watch the following animation
http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/animations/CoCl2e
quilV8.html
1) a) What is the equilibrium you are observing? (1 KU)
b) What is the chemical formula of the pink complex? (1KU)
Co(H2O)6, 2+ (aq)
c) What is the chemical formula of the blue complex? (1 KU)
CoCl4, 22) a) How do you shift the equilibrium to produce a blue coloured solution? Explain.
(2I)
Add HCl so there is an excess of Cl ions and the reaction will go right to favour
production of CoCl4
b) How do you shift the equilibrium to produce a pink-coloured solution? Explain.
(2I)
add more water so that there is an excess of H2O molecules and reaction will go
left, favouring the production of Co(H2O)6
Part [B] Watch the following animation
http://www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/animations/no
2n2o4equilV8.html
1) What does counting the number of molecules at the beginning and end of the
animation demonstrate? (1KU)
To prove that the number stays constant throughout the video, maintaining
equilibrium
The equilibrium you are watching is:
N2O4

2NO 2(g) N2O4(g)

H = -58.0 kJ/mol

In a sealed gas tube with nitrogen dioxide and dinitrogen tetroxide, you make the
following observations of the observed gas colours in the tubes:
Cold

Room temperature

Hot

2) Explain the observation in terms of the equilibrium composition achieved at each

temperature and the reasons for the observed composition. (3 KU)
When it is heated, the
Part [C] Watch the following animation

http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/animations/equilvp
Br2V8.html
1) What is different about the number of molecules present at equilibrium in this
animation, compared to the last animation? Why does this difference exist? (2
KU)
The difference is that in this video, we are just observing the state change back
and forth between one molecule while for the previous video, there is a distinct
formation/separation of molecules
2) Is this a chemical equilibrium or a physical equilibrium? Explain. (1KU)
Its a physical equilibrium because the rate at which the gas and vapour are
produced are the same
Lab: Le Chateliers Principle
Purpose: the chemistry department at UTS would like you to design a display
illustrating the use of Le Chateliers Principle to produce the colours of the rainbow
with the materials listed below
You should use as many different stresses (shift equilibria in as many different
ways as possible) to produce your display.

Materials:
BIN 1:
3 small
blue
3 small
3 small
3 small

dropper bottles of bromothymol

dropper bottles of 0.10 M HCl
dropper bottles of 0.1 M NaOH
dropper bottles of NaCl

BIN 2
3 small dropper bottles of 0.10 M KSCN
3 small dropper bottles of 0.10 M iron (III)
nitrate
3 vials with 20 g of solid KSCN
3 vials with 20 g of solid FeCl3
3 vials with 20 g of Na3PO4
3 dropper bottles 0.10 M KNO3

BIN 3
250 mL of 0.25 M copper (II) sulfate
3 dropper bottles Conc NH3 in small dropper bottles
3 dropper bottles 1.0 M HCl
BIN 4
3 vials with 20 g of solid copper (II) chloride dihydrate
3 small dropper bottles of 12 M HCl (Conc)

BIN 5
3 vials with 20 g of cobalt (II) chloride hexahydrate
95% ethanol
3 small dropper bottles with acetone
3 vials with 20g of solid NaCl

BIN 6
3 small dropper bottles with methyl red indicator
Cold soda water make sure ingredients
are ONLY soda water and carbon dioxide
0.10 M AgNO3
60 mL syringes with Luer Locks

Procedure: Create a procedure to produce your display, this does not need to be
done in your lab book

BIN 1: HCl, NaOH, NaCL

1) fill a small test tube about half-full with distilled water. Add some drops of
bromothymol blue.
2) Add 5 drops of HCl and stir. The color should change to a yellow-orange
solution, as the reaction has shifted left
3) Add the NaOH drop by drop while stirring until green colour is reached. From
there, add more until blue
BIN 2
1) pour about 10mL of KSCN solution
2) add 10mL of distilled water and 10 drops of Fe(No3)3. Swirl the solution and
the KSCN and Fe(No3)3should have been clear, but when they should react to
produce an orange colour
3) Divide solution into three test tubes
4) add 1-2 crystals of solid KSCN to test tube #1. The solution should be dark
red
5) add 3 drops of Fe(No3)3 to test tube #2 and stir. The solution should be red,
but not as dark as test tube #1
6) add Na2HPO4 crystals one at at ime to test tube #3 and stir. The solution
should be clear
BIN 3 CuSO4, NH3, HCl
1) Place around 10 drops of CuSO4 into testube, then add drops of NH3 until
colour change occurs and solution is clear NH3 + H2O -----> NH4+ + OHCu2+ + 2OH- <------> Cu(OH)2 (s)
2) Add drops of HCl until colour changes againCu2+ + 4NH3 <------>
Cu(NH3)2+4 (royal blue solution)
HCl + NH3 -----> Neutralization
BIN 4 CuCl2*2H2O, HCl
BIN5 CoCl4 (2-) + 6 H2O = Co(H2O)6 (2+) + 4 ClBIN 6 methyl red, soda, AgNO3
1) Pour 10mL of soda water into beaker and add few drops of methyl red
indicator to give a red solution
2) Draw some solution using Luer Locks, place finger over syringe entrance, pull
the plunger out more and lock it. Bubbles of CO2 will be seen gasing out from

the water and the indicator will begin to turn orange. Shake syringe for faster
out-gassing
3) Hold syringe vertically with nozzle pointing upwards, remove finger and
unlock, pushing on plunger to let out gas but not the solution
4) Seal syringe again like done in step 2 and repeat the out-gassing cycle. The
indicator should be turning a yellow colour. Repeat a few times until
completely yellow
Soda water contains carbon dioxide that has been dissolved under pressure. The
solution of CO2 is acidic bc of the increase in concentration of H+ ions resulting
from reactions below. Reducing the pressure causes the CO2 to come out of the
solution so the equilibrium will move left (1.). The result is that the other three
equilibria will also move left, removing H+ ions from solution making it less acidic
1. CO2(g) CO2(aq)
2. 2 CO2(aq) + H2O(l) H2CO3(aq) (carbonic acid)
3. 3 H2CO3(aq) H+(aq) + HCO3(aq) (hydrogencarbonate ions)
4. 4 HCO3(aq) H+(aq) + CO32(aq) (carbonate ions)

Analysis: Complete the table provided this also serves as your conclusion. No
error section is required. This does not need to be done in your lab book

Table 1: ____________________________________________________________
Colour
observed

Stress that
cause the
colour

Bin1: Equilibrium Reaction

Yellow
Add HCl
Blue
Green

Add NaOH

Add HCl to the

^
Bin 2: Equilibrium Reaction
Deep red
Add KSCN
crystal

Molecular
explanation of
how colour is
produced

Major species
responsible for
observed
colour

Other colours
present in
lower
concentration

Pale orange

Add Fe(NO3)3

Bin 3: Equilibrium Reaction

Deep Blue
Pale Blue
Bin 4: Equilibrium Reaction
Green
Blue
Bin 5: Equilibrium Reaction
Adding water
pink
blue
Adding
Concentrated
HCl or NaCl
Adding
Acetone
blue
Raising the
temperature
pink
Lowering the
temperature
Bin 6: Equilibrium Reaction
Yellow
Red