Name: _____________________________ Period: _____ Date: ___________________

The Case of the Five Droppers

Mrs. Weilemann spent an hour after school the other day preparing some solutions for a
lab for her students. But she was in a hurry and didn’t realize that the containers were still
wet when she put the labels on them. The labels fell off onto the floor and another teacher
threw the labels away the next morning. She knew that she had made aqueous solutions of
the following compounds: barium nitrate, lead (II) nitrate, nitric acid, potassium
carbonate, and potassium iodide.

Mrs. Weilemann made new solutions of all five substances, but she would still like to figure
out what is in the original containers that she made. Your job is to use the known solutions
to see what is formed when the solutions are mixed two at a time, then do the same with
the unknown solutions to decide what each bottle contains.

You will use the simulation at the following website to mix your chemicals:

http://bit.ly/5droppers

There is a video to help you learn how to do the lab posted in the instructions for this lab in
Canvas. Go watch it now!

Procedure:

1. You are given five solutions in labeled dropper bulbs (pipets) to be mixed in some of
the cells of a 48-well plate. Go to the Known Samples Data Table and fill in the names
of the substances at the top of the column and on the left of the row (the simulation
randomizes the substances for each person…).

2. Click on a dropper to select it, then click on a cell to position the dropper over it,
then click again to deliver a drop. Make sure you see the drop come out of the
dropper. You will need to click on the name of what is in the dropper at the top of
the screen to set it down and be able to select another dropper. Use this method to
put the correct solution in each of the rows.

3. Now, pick up the dropper for one of the substances in a column and add the second
solution to the cell. Watch what happens after you add the second substance. When
two solutions are mixed, precipitates of different colors may appear, gas bubbles
may appear, or nothing may appear to happen. If you want to be sure that your
mixture did not form a white precipitate, you can place a black piece of paper under
the well plate by clicking on the right arrow under the right bottom side of the well
 plate. To change the paper underneath back to white, click on the left arrow under
the left bottom of the well plate. If you make a mistake, click on the cotton swab to
clean a single cell, or click on clean all cells to empty and clean the plate.

4. Record your observations for each cell on your Known Samples Data Table as the
second solution is added. Move to the next step when you are satisfied as to what
happens when each of these solutions is mixed with another.

**Note: Many of the cells will have no reaction, so don’t be surprised by this!**

Once you are finished with the Known Samples Data Table, follow these steps:

5. Click on knowns/unknowns. The same five solutions from the Known Samples Data
Table now appear in randomly numbered droppers (1-5). These are from the 5
bottles made by Mrs. Weilemann that do not have labels.

6. Use the same method to fill the cells and record your observations. Click on a
dropper to select it, then click on a cell to position the dropper over it, then click
again to deliver a drop. Make sure you see the drop come out of the dropper. You
will need to click on the name of what is in the dropper at the top of the screen to set
it down and be able to select another dropper. Use this method to put the correct
solution in each of the rows.

7. Now, pick up the dropper for one of the substances in a column and add the second
solution to the cell. Watch what happens after you add the second substance. When
two solutions are mixed, precipitates of different colors may appear, gas bubbles
may appear, or nothing may appear to happen. If you want to be sure that your
mixture did not form a white precipitate, you can place a black piece of paper under
the well plate by clicking on the right arrow under the right bottom side of the well
plate. To change the paper underneath back to white, click on the left arrow under
the left bottom of the well plate. If you make a mistake, click on the cotton swab to
clean a single cell, or click on clean all cells to empty and clean the plate.

8. Record your observations for each cell on your Unknown Samples Data Table as the
second solution is added.

2
Known Samples Data Table:

Write your observations of each mixture of chemicals in the table below. Be fairly descriptive and
be sure to list if you saw bubbles form:

Solution Solution Solution Solution Solution

contains: contains: contains: contains: contains:

____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

1 2 3 4
Solution
contains:

____________
5 6 7
Solution
contains:

____________
8 9
Solution
contains:

____________
10
Solution
contains:

____________

Solution
contains:

____________

3
Unknown Samples Data Table:

Write your observations of each mixture of chemicals in the table below. Be fairly descriptive and
be sure to list if you saw bubbles form:

Dropper
Number 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4

1
5 6 7

2
8 9

3
10

4
Conclusions:
1. What are the names and formulas of the mixed-up solutions? You will use the information from
your Known Samples Data Table to figure out what you have in your Unknown Samples Data
Table. For example, if you have one precipitate that is different from all of the others, what two
solutions in the Known Samples Data Table made this precipitate? The same two must be mixed
in the cell on your Unknown Samples Data Table. How can you figure out which of the two is a
specific solution? Look for other special reactions to help you reason out your answer.

Solution
Formula Name
Number

2. Pick one of the squares in the Known Samples Data Table that formed bubbles. Write the
following equations for this reaction:
A. Balanced molecular equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
B. The complete ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
C. The net ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)

A.

B.

C.

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3. Pick three squares in the Known Samples Data Table that formed precipitates. Write the
following equations for this reaction:
A. Balanced molecular equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
B. The complete ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
C. The net ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)

Reaction #1
A.

B.

C.

Reaction #2

A.

B.

C.

Reaction #3

A.

B.

C.

6
4. Pick one square in the Known Samples Data Table with two different solutions that had no
reaction. Write the following equations for this reaction:
A. Balanced molecular equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
B. The complete ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
C. The net ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)

A.

B.

C.

5. Choose a chemical from this experiment that will form water as one of the products when
mixed with Ca(OH)2. (You will have two reactants, Ca(OH)2 and one of the following: barium
nitrate, lead (II) nitrate, nitric acid, potassium carbonate, or potassium iodide.) Write the
following equations for this reaction:
A. Balanced molecular equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
B. The complete ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)
C. The net ionic equation (including states of matter for all chemicals)

A.

B.

C.