JamesLee

TitleofExperiment:GravimetricAnalysisofaMetalCarbonate
DateofLab:8/26/14
TodaysDate:9/6/14
LabPartners:LinSong

Purpose:TodeterminetheidentityofaGroup1metalcarbonatebygravimetricanalysis.The
molarmassoftheunknowncarbonatewillbefoundbyusingusingstoichiometricrelationship
andthemoleratiobetweenthemolesofCaCO3andtheunknowncompound.

DiscussionofTheory:
Gravimetricanalysisisamethodtodeterminetheidentityofanunknowncompoundinwhich,
throughprecipitation,theunknowncompoundisconvertedintoanothersubstanceofaknown
composition.Andbyseparatingandweighingtheprecipitate(CaCO3),themolarmassofthe
unknowncompoundcanbefoundthroughstoichiometry.Adoubledisplacementisthereaction
oftwoioniccompoundsthataresolubleinanaqueoussolution.Thereactionresultsintwoionic
compoundproductsthathavetheircationsandanionsswitchedfromtheproducts.Oneofthe
productsisaprecipitateandisinsoluble,whilethesecondproductissoluble.Todeterminethe
molarmassoftheunknowncompound,themassoftheunknowncompoundmustbedividedby
themolesoftheunknowncompound.Byusingstoichiometricrelationship,themolesofthe
unknowncompoundcanbefoundbydeterminingthemolesoftheprecipitateandmultiplyingit
bythemoleratio.

Procedure:
1.ObtainacrucibleandsetupaBunsenburner
2.Heatthecruciblefor1minuteandturnofftheBunsenburner,allowingthecrucibletocool
3.Measurethemassofthecrucibleandrecorditinthedatatable
4.Add2gramsoftheunknowncarbonatetothecrucibleandfindthemass
5.Heatthecruciblefor23minutesandthensetthecrucibletocoolonthewirepad.
6.Weighandrecordthemassofthecrucible
7.Repeatsteps6and7untilthemassofthecrucibleandcarbonatenolongerdecreases
8.Addthecruciblecontentstoa400mLbeaker
9.Addabout100mLofdistilledwatertothebeakerandstirtodissolvetheunknowncarbonate
10.Addabout125mLofthe0.2MCaCl2solutionandstir.
11.Lettheprecipitatetosettlefor5minutes
12.Obtainapieceoffilterpaperandweighitontheanalyticalbalance.Recordthemassintothe
Datatable.
13.Foldthefilterpaperintoacone
14.Tearoffacornerandplaceatthebottomofcone
15.Placetheconeintoafilterfunnel.Positionthepapertightagainstthefunnelwallsand
moistenthepaperwithabout5mLofdistilledwaterfromawashbottle
16.Setuptheringstandandironringandplacethefunnelinthering.Letthefunneldrainintoa
second400mLbeaker
17.Usingastirringrod,decanttheliquidfrom400mLbeakerintothefunnel
18.Whenallbut10mLoftheliquidhasbeentransferred,swirlthebeakertosuspendthe
precipitatedCO3.Transferthistothefunnel.
19.Rinsetheflaskandtransferthewashingstothefilter
20.Rinsethesolidandallowthefunneltodraincompletely
21.Placethefilterpaperinthecrucibleandheatonaheatingpan
22.Allowthefilterpapertodryfor1015minutes,andreheatthepaperfor5moreminutes
23.AllowthecrucibletocoolandweighthefilterandsolidCaCO3
24.Repeatsteps2223untilaconstantmassisobtained

DataTable:
MassofCrucible 20.26grams
MassofCrucibleandM2CO3 22.26grams
MassofCrucibleandM2CO3(dried)(1stweighing) 22.18grams
MassofCrucibleandM2CO3(dried)(2ndweighing) 22.17grams
MassofM2CO3 1.91grams
MassofFilterPaper 2.40grams
MassofFilterPaperandCaCO3 4.93grams
MassofFilterPaperandCaCO3(2ndweighing) 4.17grams
MassofCaCO3 1.77grams
MolesofCaCO3 0.0177moles
MolarMassofM2CO3 108grams/mole
IdentityofM2CO3(UnknownB) K2CO3
PercentError 22%

Calculations:
MassofM2CO3:
MassofcrucibleandM2CO3(dried,1stweighing)massofcrucible=
22.1720.26=1.91grams

MassofCaCO3:
MassoffilterpaperandCaCO3massoffilterpaper=
4.172.40=1.77grams

MolesofCaCO3:
1.77gx1molCaCO3/100.09g=0.0177molCaCO3

MolarMassofM2CO3
moleCaCO3=moleM2CO3(Moleratio1:1)
MassofM2CO3/molCaCO3=1.91/0.0177=108grams/moleM2CO3

IdentityofMispotassium(K):
PercentError=[actualvalueexperimentalvalue(absolutevalue)/actualvalue]x100=
(138.21108/138.21)x100=
(30./138.21)x100=22%

Conclusion:
Overall,thepurposeofthelabexperimentwastofindtheidentityoftheunknowncompoundby
usinggravimetricanalysis.Inordertofindtheidentityoftheunknownmetalthroughgravimetric
analysis,adoublereactionwastakenplace,wheretheunknowncompoundreactedwithCaCl2
toformtheproductsCaCO3(solid)and2MCl(soluble).TheprecipitateCaCO3wasthen
isolatedbyfunnelingthemixtureoftheunknowncompoundandCaCl2andthemassofthedried
CaCO3wasmeasured.Themolesoftheprecipitatewasthenfoundtobe0.0177bydividingthe
massofCaCO3byitsmolarmass.SincethemolesofCaCO3isequaltothemolesofthe
unknowncompound(themoleratiois1:1),themolarmassoftheunknowncompoundcanbe
determinedbydividingthemassoftheunknowncompoundbythemolesofCaCO3.Themolar
massinthisexperimentwasfoundtobe108g/mole,andbysubtractingthemolarmassofCO3
anddividingby2,themolarmassoftheunknownmetalcouldbefound.Althoughourunknown
metalwaspotassium(K),thedatawasfaroff(shouldhavebeen138.21g/moe),withthetotal
percenterrorbeing22%.

ErrorandAnalysis:
Severalerrorscouldhaveoccurredtomakethemolarmassofthecompoundhigherorlower
thanitshouldhavebeen.Themolarmasswouldbetoohighiftheunknowncompoundwasnot
fullydried,sinceitsmasswouldbehigherthanitshouldbe.Also,themolarmasswouldbetoo
highiftheCaCO3splashedoutofthefilter,iftheCaCO3wasntfullytransferredfromthebeaker
tothefunnel,orifsomeCaCO3gotfilteredthroughthefunnelbecausethemass,andtherefore
themoles,ofCaCO3wouldbelessthanitshouldbe.Themolarmassoftheunknown
compoundwouldbetoolowiftheCaCO3didntfullydry,sincethemassandmolesofCaCO3
wouldbemorethanitshouldbe.Themolarmassoftheunknowncompound(K2CO3)foundin
theexperimentwas108g/mole,alotlowerthantheactualmolarmassof138.21g/mole,and
thisprobablyoccurredbecausetheCaCO3wasntfullydriedsinceitwasntheatedforthefull
1520minutesthatwasrequired.