Ermak 1

Evaporation of Alcohols

Investigation conducted by:

Vlada Ermak
Aki Kankaanpää
Karina Shouur

Report written by:

Vlada Ermak

Introduction and Background

The correlation between the molecular mass of an alcohol and its temperature during

evaporation was measured during this experiment. For this investigation we wanted to see

what is the relation between different alcohols (pentanol, butanol, propanol, methanol,

ethanol) and their temperatures during the process of evaporation. We also attempted to

establish a relation between the strength of intermolecular bonding between molecules of

alcohols given and the research question.

A carbon chain plus a hydroxyl functional group1 make up an alcohol, which is an organic

molecule. There is polar bonding in alcohol. Polar bonds reduce evaporation by making

intermolecular connections more difficult to break. Any variation in evaporation rate will not

be related to polarity because all three molecules have equal strength polar connections. The

molecules Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol and Propanol are arranged by increasing

molar mass. Because larger molecules have stronger intermolecular interactions, a lower

molar mass is correlated with a slower evaporation rate. Evaporation is the transition of a

single molecule sample from liquid to gaseous state. However, the rate at which various

molecules evaporate varies. Intermolecular bonding accounts for this. Molecules with

1 A hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula -OH and composed of
one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom ( ---. “Hydroxy Group.” Wikipedia, 19
Apr.2021,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxy_group#:%7E:text=A%20hydroxy%20or
%20hydroxyl%20group,one%20or%20more%20hydroxy%20groups. )
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stronger connections are more difficult to separate..2Consequently, the process of evaporation

requires more energy and time to break strong intermolecular bonds, therefore, alcohols with

greater molar mass will have smaller temperature change than those with lesser molar mass.

Materials

➔ - A temperature probe

➔ - Small test tube

➔ - Beaker (75ml)

➔ - Pieces of paper (2cm x 2cm)

➔ - Rubber band

➔ - Samsung tablet, which was linked to the temperature probe via an app

➔ - Safety goggles

Procedure

Experiment

1. First we collected all the necessary equipment.

2. Secondly, we connected the temperature probe with the tablet

2 Bmorey17. “The Effect of Molar Mass on Evaporation Rates.” Brendan Does Science, 17 Nov. 2015,
bmorey17.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/34/#:%7E:text=Ethanol%2C%20Propanol%2C%20and%20Butanol%20are,phases
%20of%20liquid%20to%20gas.

3The table represents the molar mass of alcohols studied. According to Wikipedia contributors. “Alcohol.” Wikipedia, 19
Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol.
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3. Then we wrapped the end of probes with pieces of filter paper

4. After this we sank the probe into the flask with alcohol
5. After a few second we took it out and held it looking at the temperature
change
6. When the temperature stopped decreasing we finished the trial vand measure
the temperature change

The molecular weight of alcohol was our independent variable(the cause), while temperature

change during evaporation was our dependent variable (the effect). The controlled

variables(aspects which may have affected the research outcomes) were represented by the

size of filter paper and moving the temperature probe.

Results:

Raw data:

Analysed data:

4 Calculated temperature change (Initial temperature- Final Temperature)

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Observations:

- The samples of alcohols gave out pungent odor

- The alcohols remained clear throughout the experiment

Errors:

Random

➔ Stopping the temperature probe takes a human response time.

➔ It's possible that the alcohols in the test tubes were not combined long enough.
➔ The filter paper may have drifted away from the probe's tip.
5 Graph representing the correlation between the alcohol and the temperature change during the process of
evaporation
6 Graph representing the trend line based on raw data points
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Systematic

➔ The equipment used may have not been well-calibrated

Conclusion and Evaluation:

The correlation between molecular mass of an alcohol and its temperature change during
evaporation was studied in this lab practical. We planned to determine the intensity of
intermolecular interaction between alcohol molecules and the way it affects the process of
evaporation. Generally, our experiment’s findings support the hypothesis stated in
Introduction. The alcohol samples with greater molar mass showed lesser temperature
change than those with lower molar mass. This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that
larger molecules have stronger intermolecular bondings, which are harder to break down
during the process of evaporation.

If the following systematic and random errors had been removed or reduced, the experiment's
outcomes would have been different. In terms of the systematic mistakes,

1. It's possible that the equipment used wasn't properly calibrated.

Regarding random errors,

1. It requires a human response time to turn off the temperature probe.

2. It’s highly likely that the test tubes' alcohols were not mixed for long enough.
3. It's possible that the filter paper shifted away from the probe's tip.

Finally, we'll assess our progress throughout the trial.

1. We managed to finnish all trials during the given 40 minutes

2. No outliers on the graph can be identified and the trend confirms the hypothesis stated
in Introduction
3. To avoid heating the test tube by hand and possible systematic errors, we placed it in
a beaker.

In conclusion, we can say that the conducted experiments were successful. Nevertheless,
there appears to be enough inaccuracy in the data to affect the precision of the results.
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Works cited

Bmorey17. “The Effect of Molar Mass on Evaporation Rates.” Brendan Does Science, 17 Nov.

2015, bmorey17.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/34/#:%7E:text=Ethanol%2C%20Propanol

%2C%20and%20Butanol%20are,phases%20of%20liquid%20to%20gas. Accessed 25

May, 2021

---. “Hydroxy Group.” Wikipedia, 19 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxy_group#:

%7E:text=A%20hydroxy%20or%20hydroxyl%20group,one%20or%20more%20hydroxy

%20groups. Accessed 25 May, 2021

Wikipedia contributors. “Alcohol.” Wikipedia, 19 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol.