Gwendolyn Buchanan 14 November 2011 Honors Chemistry II
Solubility Lab
Purpose: The purpose of the Solubility Lab was to discover what reactions form precipitates, the cause of which is the creation of substances that are not soluble in water.
Pre-Lab Questions: 1. NaNO3; Ca(NO3)2 2. a. BaCl2(aq) + H2SO4(aq) 2HCl(aq) + BaSO4(s) Ba+2 + 2Cl- + 2H+ + SO4-2 2H+ + 2Cl- + BaSO4 Ba+2(aq) + SO4-2(aq) BaSO4(s) b. CuSO4(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) Na2SO4(aq) + Cu(OH)2(s) Cu+2 + SO4-2 + 2Na+ + 2OH- 2Na+ + SO4-2 + Cu(OH)2 Cu+2 + 2OH- Cu(OH)2
Data Table: Na2CO3 Al(NO3)3 NH4NO3 Ca(NO3)2 Cu(NO3)2 NaNO3 Fe(NO3)3 Pb(NO3)2 Ba(NO3)2 KNO3 AgNO3 Zn(NO3)2 White No Gray Blue No Yellow Gray Gray No Puke No NaCl No No No No No No No No No White No NaOH White No Gray Blue No Gold Gray White No Dark brown No NaNO3 No No No No No No No No No No No Na3PO4 White No Gray Blue No No Gray White No Yellow No Na2SO4 No No No No No No White White No No No
Procedure: The procedure for this lab was very simple. We placed two drops each of two different chemicals in the correct spaces on the laminated paper and recorded observations with
respect to precipitates and their colors. Post-Lab Questions: 1. a. The anion CO3-2 usually formed a precipitate; exceptions are NH4+, NA+, and K+. The anion OH- also generally formed a precipitate. Exceptions are NH4+, Na+, K+, and Zn+2. These were the only exceptions in what we tested. b. There were also anions that generally didnt form precipitates. Cl- formed no precipitates except with Ag+ NO3- formed no precipitates. SO4-2 formed precipitates only with Pb+2 and Ba+2. 2. a. The only cation that formed a precipitate more than half the time was Ag+. It didnt form precipitates with NO3- or with SO4-2. b. Some cations formed a precipitate less than half the time. Na+ never formed a precipitate; neither did NH4+ or Zn+2. Fe+3 formed precipitates only with CO3-2 and OH-. 3. All common compounds of Group I and ammonium ions are soluble. All nitrates, acetates, and chlorates are soluble. All binary compounds of the halogens (other than F) with metals are soluble, except those of Ag, Hg(I), and Pb. Pb halides are soluble in hot water.) All sulfates are soluble, except those of barium, strontium, calcium, lead, silver, and mercury (I). The latter three are slightly soluble. Except for rule 1, carbonates, hydroxides, oxides, silicates, and phosphates are
insoluble. Sulfides are insoluble except for calcium, barium, strontium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and ammonium. 4. See attached paper.
Conclusion: In the Solubility Lab, we made sixty-six different reactions on a sheet of laminated paper. When the reactions formed precipitates, we recorded the color of the precipitates. Our purpose was to learn about solubility in terms of what reactions create insoluble precipitates; this lab resulted in such learning. To me, these results mean that I will pass the next test, since this unit is on solubility. During this lab, I learned that NaNO3 forms precipitates with nothing we tested, and I learned that Na2CO3 forms precipitates with almost everything we tested.