Investigation 1A - DETERMINING THE AMOUNT

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OF WATER OF CRYSTALLIZATION IN A HYDRATED SALT

I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Name ________________________ Date ____________ Teacher ____________________________
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In this Investigation you will attempt to determine the amount of water of crystallization in copper(II) sulfate crystals
by heating them in a crucible and measuring the loss in mass.

METHOD
1) Weigh an empty crucible with its lid and record the mass as accurately as possible below.
2) Approximately one-third fill the crucible with hydrated copper(II) sulfate crystals, replace the lid and then
reweigh.

B a c c a l a u re a t e
3) Heat the crucible gently on a pipeclay triangle for about two minutes with the lid partially removed.
4) Remove the lid completely and heat more strongly until the dehydration is complete.
5) Replace the lid and turn off the burner.
6) When the crucible is cool enough to hold in your hand, reweigh it.

DATA COLLECTION
Mass of empty crucible and lid = __________ ± ________ g

C h e m i s t r y
Mass of crucible, lid and hydrated copper(II) sulfate = __________±________ g

Mass of crucible and copper(II) sulfate after heating =__________±________ g

Relevant qualitative observations

I n v e s t i g a t i o n s
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 Investigation 1A - DETERMINING THE AMOUNT
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OF WATER OF CRYSTALLIZATION IN A HYDRATED SALT

DATA ANALYSIS

I n t e r n a t i o n a l
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a) Calculate the mass, and hence the amount (in moles), of anhydrous salt that remained.

B a c c a l a u re a t e
b) Calculate the mass, and hence the amount (in mol), of water that was lost from the hydrated salt.

c) Hence calculate the amount (in mol), of water that are combined with one mole of the salt.

C h e m i s t r y
I n v e s t i g a t i o n s
d) This amount of water should be an integer. Bearing that in mind, what was the formula of the hydrated
copper(II) sulfate?

e) What was the precision of your weighings? Use this to calculate the uncertainty that this introduces into your
result for the amount of water of crystallization.

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OF WATER OF CRYSTALLIZATION IN A HYDRATED SALT

EVALUATION

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a) Why was the crucible cooled before weighing?

b) After the crucible has cooled, the weighing should be carried out as rapidly as possible. Why is this?

B a c c a l a u re a t e
c) Why was the crucible initially heated with the lid partially on?

C h e m i s t r y
d) Were the colour changes that occurred what you would have expected? Explain.

I n v e s t i g a t i o n s
e) If your result turned out to be less than the accepted value, what experimental errors could have explained this?

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f) If your result turned out to be greater than the accepted result, what experimental errors could have been the
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OF WATER OF CRYSTALLIZATION IN A HYDRATED SALT
g) Which do you consider is the most significant source of error; random errors or systematic errors?

I n t e r n a t i o n a l
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Explain how you reach your conclusion.

B a c c a l a u re a t e
h) In what ways could you suggest modifying the method in order to significantly improve the result? Indicate
which you think are the most, and which are the least, significant of the changes you recommend.

C h e m i s t r y
i) This technique cannot be used to determine the water of crystallization present in all salts. Why might a
particular salt be unsuitable? Give some specific examples if you can.

I n v e s t i g a t i o n s
j) Have you any suggestions of how it could be determined in these cases?

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