NAME: Rangas, Riza Mae, D.

________ YR/CR/SEC:1DVM-A

Experiment No. 1
WATER AND ITS PROPERTIES

THEORY:
Water is important to all living systems. It serves as natural solvent for mineral ions and other substances. It is
also the dispersion medium for colloidal cells like protoplasm. It serves as the medium for most biochemical
reactions and is the most abundant component of cells. Except for bone tissues and enamel, water
constituents about 70 percent of the human body.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the properties of water that make it a suitable medium for sustaining life in
biological systems.

MATERIALS: glass bottle, medicine dropper (1 mL), plastic teaspoon, plastic stirrer

PROCEDURE:

I – WATER: A Universal Solvent a. Put about 0.5 grams (pinch) of the following substances into four separate
test tubes (any plastic cup):

TT1: Sodium Chloride, NaCl (table salt)

TT2: brown sugar
TT3: coffee
TT4: candle

b. In the fifth test tube, put 1 mL of oil (use medicine dropper), TT5, and in the sixth test tube, put 1 mL of
ethanol (ethyl alcohol), TT6.

c. Add 1 mL of water to each test tube and shake vigorously to dissolve the substances.

d. To substances that did not dissolve, add another 1 mL of water and shake.

e. Repeat the solubility test using kerosene instead of water.

f. Describe solubility in both solvents as soluble, slightly soluble, and insoluble. Record the observations in the
table:

Substances Solubility in Water Solubility in Kerosene

NaCl (table salt) Soluble Insoluble
Sugar (brown sugar) Soluble Insoluble
Coffee (plain) Soluble Insoluble
Candle Insoluble Soluble
Oil Insoluble Soluble
Ethyl Alcohol Soluble Insoluble

Based on your observations, which solvent dissolves more substances?

- The substance salt, sugar, coffee, and ethyl alcohol are soluble in water because they have the same
polarity with the water. While candle and oil are insoluble in water because candle and oil are non-polar
molecule while water is a polar solvent. This means that they cannot form a solution because their
polarity is opposite. However, the substance salt, sugar, coffee, and ethyl alcohol are insoluble in
kerosene because the kerosene is a non-polar solvent while those substance are polar molecule. In
which the kerosene will not interact favorably with those kinds of substances. But on the other hand,
candle and oil are soluble in kerosene because of their same polarity which is non-polar.
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