Hydrate Code: MgSO4_______

The Formula of a Hydrate

When water is evaporated from an aqueous solution of a salt, water molecules often become
incorporated into the crystals of salt that form. These crystals may appear to be dry, but they will yield a
quantity of water when heated. Salts which contain water as part of their crystal structure are called hydrates
and the water is called water of hydration.
AaBb ● xH2O(s)  AaBb + xH2O(g)
(Hydrate) (anhydrous salt) (Water)

In this experiment you will be given an unknown hydrate and the name of your anhydrous salt. You will
determine the mass of water lost when a known mass of the hydrate is heated, and use this information to
identify your unknown hydrate.

Materials:
crucible ring stand wire gauze unknown hydrate
clay triangle burner crucible tongs

Procedure:
1. In your lab book prepare a data table as shown. Record all experimental results in the data table as
soon as you obtain them. Complete the remainder of the data table as soon as you have enough data
to do so.

Mass of crucible ___31.5____ g

Mass of crubicle + Hydrate 35.5g
Mass of hydrate ____4.0___ g
Mass of crucible and anhydrous salt (first heating) ____34.4___ g
Mass of crucible and anhydrous salt (second heating) 34.0
Mass of water lost ____1.5__ g

2. Place a clean, dry crucible on a triangle placed on a ring stand.

3. Heat the crucible strongly with a burner for 3 min.
4. Allow crucible to cool before determining the mass of the crucible.
5. Place 4g of the unknown hydrate in the crucible.
6. Determine the mass of the crucible and hydrate.
7. Place the crucible on the triangle. Heat gently for 5
8. Increase the flame until the crucible bottom is a dull red, and heat for 5 min.
9. Allow crucible to cool before determining the mass of the crucible and
contents.
10. Reheat the crucible and contents to dull redness for 3 min.
11. Cool and determine the mass of the crucible and contents.
12. Continue to repeat steps 10 – 11 until your mass is within 0.02g of the mass you obtained in step 9.

Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the initial heating and cooling in step 3 and 4?
- The purpose of the initial heating and the cooling in steps 3 and 4 is for finding the mass of the
crubicle. In step 3 they are heating for the first time because the warm air surrounds it and
activates the protective coating of the crucible. Step 4 of cooling it because the heat surrounding it
 Hydrate Code: MgSO4_______
rises, then that air cools and falls. This rise and fall are referred to as a convection current. It also
removes any excess moisture and prevents it from breaking or cracking when the salt is added. It is
also basically meant to reduce the thermals stress on the crucible.
2. What is the purpose of the second heating and cooling in step 10 and 11?
- The purpose of the second heating and cooling in steps 10 and 11 is so that the difference between
the two masses can be used to determine how much salt is in the sample. It should be heated at
least twice to assure that all the water has been removed from the hydrated salt and to assure the
mass of the hydrated salt stays consistent. The goal is to measure the change that left the
compound cooling will make the air cool and it will condense the reading of the mass.
3. What is the formula of your hydrate? Show all calculations
- In the scanned documents, has all the calculations.
4. If your unknown had contained some crystals that had already lost their water of hydration, how
would the results of the experiment have been affected?
- Let’s say the unknown has already been dehydrated by a little, then this would change the mass of
the overall compound when it is heated since the original mass already has lost some water. So if it
has lost water originally, that will leave an effect on the calculations. Overall, the mass of the
anhydrate salt is going to be the same but the mass of the water after being heated will be less
than the water not being dehydrated beforehand. It will change the coefficient of the water as it
was 4H2O but it could be lower than that even if the mass of water has been decreased by .5g.
Therefore, causing less value of water.