Candidate: Sarolta Szalai IB candidate number: School: International American School Warsaw, Poland Examination session: May 2012

Date: 26.10.2010

Determinig the water of crystalisation

The aim is to find out, and determine the number of moles of water of crystalisation in crystals of an anhydrous salt (CuSO4) by heating it to constant mass crucible. Research question : How many moles of water of crystalisation in crystals will leave the anhydrous salt ( CuSO4), after heating? How many times should the salt be heated, to achieve the constant mass in a crucible ? Hypothesis: The salt should be heated and cooled at least three-four times to make sure that the salt got its constant mass in crucible. After heating and cooling every time, after second or third heating and cooling the mass of the salt should stop changing, and stay constant for the rest of the time. The salts original colour is vivid blue, it can change after the temperature changes.

Fistable preparing the anhydrous salt, copper(II) sulphate, then putting a small amount of it in a crucible, heating, cooling few times then recording data, and analysing it. Materials,equipment: CuSO4 (anhydrous salt), crucible, lid, pipeclay trinagle, balance. Method: 1. Weighing an empty crucible with its lid on and record the result.
2. Filling the crucible approxiamately one-third with crystals of

copper(II) sulphate, replacing the lid and reweighting it.

3. Heating the crucible strongly on a pipeclay triangle fro about ten

minutes,with the lid on, the puting it in a special equipment for cooling. (cooling is important , to prevent loosing solids from the cruciable, because kinetic energy is greater with increasing temperature,and of course for safety.)
4. When its cold enough o hold in hand, reweighing it(it is important to

weigh it as fast as possible, to protect the slat from taking up water from the air). 5. Heating for another five minutes, and again leaving to cool and reweigh. 6. Repeating fifth task until the mass stays constant, (here done 6 times.). The variables: the independent variable is the mass of the salt before heating and during heating, dependent variable is the mass of the salt after heating. Controlled variable is the amount of the anhydrous salt, and the fixed variable is the weight of the crucible with the lid .

Data collection Name of the wighted object (anhydrous salt : CuSO4) Mass of empty crucible and lid Mass of crucible, lid, and anhydrous salt Mass of crucible,lid and salt after first heating Mass of crucible, lid and salt after second heating Mass of crucible, lid and salt after third heating Mass of crucible, lid and salt after fourth heating weight 45.80 g 53.15 g 50.50 g 49.65 g 49.65 g 49.65 g balance error +- 0.05 g +- 0.05 g +- 0.05 g +- 0.05 g +- 0.05 g +- 0.05 g

Data analysis The mass and the henced number of moles, of anhydrous salt (CuSO4) that remained. m CuSO4 = 49.65 g 45.80 g = 3.85 g M CuSO4 = 159.61 g mol n CuSO4 = 0.024 moles m = 0.05 + 0.05 = 0.10 g uncertainty : n=( m : m) x n x 0.024 = 6.23 x 10
-4 -1

n = 0.10 g : 3.85 g

The mass and henced number of moles of water that lost from the salt. m H2O = m g = 3.5 g
cruciable, lid hydrated salt

cruciable,lid hydrated salt after heating

= 53.15 g 49.65

M H2O = 18.00 g mol-1 n H2O = 3.5 g : 18.00 g mol

-1

= 0.19 moles

m = 0.05 + 0.05 = 0.10 g

n = 0.10 g : 3.5 g x 0.19 = 0.0054 n = 0.19 +- 0.0054

n +-

The number of moles of water that are combined with one mole of the salt. 0.024 moles of salt CuSO4 = 0.19 moles of H2O 1 mol of salt = x x = 1 x 0.19 : 0.024 = 7.92 moles of H2O

uncertainties: x : x = n salt : n salt + n H2O : n H2O

x

x = ( salt : n salt +

n H2O : n H2O) +

x 7.92 moles

x = ( 6.2 x 10-4 : 0.024 = 0.42 = 0.4 moles

0.0054 : 0.19 ) x

Result : x +-

x = ( 8 +- 0.4 ) moles

The formula of the hydrated salt: CuSO4 5H2O Data conclusion and evaluation The water from the hydrated salt, copper(II) sulphate left the salt after second heating, but it can always change. The conclusion is that if a anhydrous salt is heated, the water leaves the salt, so the mass of the salt decreases, and it changes colour, if it is a vivid colour it becomes less vivid like the copper(II) suphate changed its colour from vivid blue to light blue, and then to white. Possible experimental errors: the salt was very old, it can contain more water then it is written on the bottle. during cooling the slat can absorb water from the air the weighing could be unprecise

There is a possibility to change the technique of the experiment, to be more succesful and precise. Its better to prepare a more precise balance, a new anhydrous salt, (not so old, no possibility of containing extra water),

cooling faster after heating, and weighing faster after cooling.Should be used drying substance in exicator.And it is better to do the experiment more than one time, to be more sure at the results. This method also cannot be used to determine the water crystalisation present in all salts, because carbonates can break down, because CO2 can be given out too, and soem salts has lower melting temperature and they can melt down during heating.