Inorganic Chemistry Experiment 2

Title: The solubility of salts of Group 2 Elements

Objective: To study the solubility of the sulphates, sulphites and hydroxides of Group 2 elements.

Apparatus: Test tubes, Graduated pipette, Beaker(50ml), Test tube racks, Pasteur pipette

Materials: 0.1M solution of the following cations: Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+; 1.0M solution of OH-, 0.5M
solution of SO42-, 0.5M solution of SO32-

Results Table:

Cation Number of drops of anion solution added to form a precipitate

Solution OH- SO32- SO42-
Mg2+ 1 (s) 40+ 40+
Ca2+ 2 (s) 40+ 40+
Ba2+ 7 (h) 1 (h) 1 (h)

Questions:

1. For Group 2, what are the solubility trends of the salts listed below:
(a) Hydroxides : Increases
(b) Sulphites : Decreases
(c) Sulphates : Decreases

2. Explain your answer for (1).

(a) The lattice enthalpy decreases faster than the hydration enthalpy while progressing
down Group 2.
(b) The hydration enthalpy decreases faster than the lattice enthalpy while progressing
down Group 2.
(c) The hydration enthalpy decreases faster than the lattice enthalpy while progressing
down Group 2.