Sillina Phillips

The Queen’s School

IA: # 1

Date: October 23, 2023

Introduction: Certain properties of compounds such as solubility in polar and non-polar

solvents, melting point and conduction of electricity, can be used to distinguish between ionic
and covalent substances.

In this experiment, the properties of some common laboratory substances are studied in order
to determine whether they are ionic or covalent in nature.

Title: PROPERTIES OF IONIC AND COVALENT SUBSTANCES.

Aim: To determine whether the properties of common laboratory substances are ionic or
covalent in nature.

Apparatus: Spatula, Unknown substance (A), Bunsen burner, Distilled water, Test tubes and
Ethanol

Procedure:

1. The melting point of the substances sodium chloride, sucrose, naphthalene and copper
(II) oxide was researched in a data book and entered in the appropriate column in the
table of results.
2. Approximately one spatula filled with unknown A was placed in a test tube and its
contents were heated gently initially and then strongly until there was no further
change occurred.
3. A small spatula of sample A was added to 20cm3 of distilled water in a test tube. The
resulting mixture for electrical conductivity was tested. Observations were recorded
on solubility and electrical conductivity.
4. Step two (2) was repeated using ethanol instead of water.
5. The procedure above was repeated with the other substances provided.
6. Observations were recorded in the table provided.

Results:
 TABLE SHOWING THE SUBSTANCES TESTED FOR MELTING POINT, MELTING
CHARACTERISTIC, SOLUBILITY IN WATER AND ETHANOL AND AN UNKNOWN
SUBSTANCE

SUBSTANCES TESTED

SODIUM SUCROSE NAPHTHAL COPPE CALCIUM

CHLORI ENE R (II) CARBONA
DE OXIDE TE

Melting 801 185 80.26 1326 825

point/ºC

Unknown D A C E B
substance

Melting 10s- 10s- 10s- Melting 10s- No 10s- No

characterist Melting Melting change change
ic and 30s-
produces 30s- Completely 30s- No 30s- No
popping Completely molten with change change
sounds molten a strong odor
with a dark
30s- colour
Continues
to pop and
starts
melting

Solubility Yes Yes No No No

in water

Solubility No Slightly Partially No No

in ethanol

Discussion:

In ionic bonding, atoms transfer electrons to each other whilst during covalent bonding
electrons are shared between atoms. Of the four (4) samples, Sodium Chloride, Calcium
Carbonate and Copper (II) Oxide are ionic leaving Sucrose and Naphthalene to be covalent.
Covalent bonds tend to have a lower melting point compared to ionic bonds, this explains
why Sucrose and Naphthalene are covalent. However, only sucrose is soluble in water yet
both are partially/slightly soluble in ethanol. With this information, the statement still stands
that Sucrose and Nathalene are covalent bonds and vice versa with Sodium Chloride and
Copper (II) Oxide being ionic bonds. A possible source of error throughout this research is
not recording the data in time and getting an inaccurate reading and a limitation is there not
being enough solutions for the reactions to take place.

Conclusion:

It can be concluded that ionic bonds tend to have higher melting points, soluble in water but
insoluble in ethanol.