Italo Calderon 11-9-12 Period 5 Ionic vs.

Covalent Bonding Lab Investigation Introduction: Most atoms are never found by themselves, instead they are bounded to other atoms in ionic or covalent bonds. This is because atoms are most stable when they have a full outer shell. Atoms require eight valence electrons to have a full shell and need some way to acquire all of them. They can bond ionically or covalently. When atoms bond ionically, it is usually a metal with a nonmetal. The metal atom will transfer its valence electrons and give them to the nonmetal. This will result in the metal becoming a positive cation and the nonmetal becoming a negative anion. The ions will then bond by electrostatic attraction and form a crystal. When atoms bond covalently, they share electrons between atoms in order to fill up their outer shell. Both bonds do not conduct electricity. However, if an ionic bond is dissolved in water, it will conduct electricity. Furthermore, ionic bonds are strong and have a really high melting point, while covalent bonds are weak and have a low melting point. Hypotheses: Table 1: The expected results of testing five different chemicals Hypothesis 1: Hypothesis 2: High Hypothesis 3: Will Compounds to Chemical Formula it conduct be Tested Ionic or or Low Melting Covalent Point? electricity? Distilled (pure) H2O Covalent Low No Water Sodium NaCl Ionic High When dissolved Chloride Sucrose (sugar) C12H22O11 Covalent Low No Dextrose Sodium Sulfate C6H12O6 NaSO4 Covalent Ionic Low High No When dissolved

Procedures: Part I. Melting Point and Strength of Bonds 1. Aluminum foil was folded into a square that would neatly fit on a ring stand. Small samples of each of the 4 different compounds were placed on the square of aluminum foil; careful to not let them mix. 2. The aluminum foil was carefully placed on the tray on a ring stand and was then heated up using a Bunsen burner (no longer that 1-2 min). 3. Detailed observations were immediately recorded, taking note on the order in which the samples melt (or dont melt). 4. The square foil was set aside to cool and then thrown away. Part II. Electrical Conductivity 1. A small sample of each compound was placed in a different well of a well plate. 2. The dry compounds were tested for conductivity using a conductivity tester. The observations were recorded. 3. Distilled water was added to each compound to dissolve it as much as possible. 4. The solutions were then tested for conductivity using the conductivity tester. Observations were recorded. The conductivity tester was washed with distilled water after every use. 5. The well plate was then washed with distilled water and set out to dry.
Results: Table 2: The results of testing five different chemical substances

Name/Chemical Formula:

Part I: Melting Point (1-5; High, Med. or Low?)

Part II: Conducted Electricity? (Yes/No) Dry Dissolved No Yes Yes No Yes

FINAL CONCLUSION: Ionic or Covalent Bonds? Covalent Ionic Covalent Covalent Ionic

1. Distilled (pure) Water/ H2O 2. Sodium Chloride/ NaCl 3. Sucrose (sugar)/ C12H22O11 4. Dextrose/ C6H12O6 5. Sodium Sulfate/ NaSO4

1=Lowest: already (already melted) 5= Highest (didnt melt) 3 2 4

N/A No No No No

Conclusion: After this laboratory, it was concluded that sodium chloride and sodium sulfate were ionic compounds, while sucrose, dextrose, and distilled water were covalent compounds. All of the initial hypotheses were correct. The ionic compounds were those that conducted electricity in water and had high melting points (strong bonds). However, the covalent compounds did not conduct electricity and had low melting points (weak bonds). Ionic bonds are formed from metal cations (positive) and nonmetal anions (negative), so when they dissolve, electricity can flow through the solution. This is due to the anions and cations being dissociated and able to move freely in order to pass a moving charge (electricity). Additionally, ionic bonds are very strong because of the strong electrostatic attraction between the cations and anions. The ions are arranged in a crystal lattice. As a result of the strong bond, their melting point is high. On the other hand, covalent bonds are formed when atoms share electrons. Covalent bonds do not conduct electricity because of the firmly placed electrons that hardly move. Furthermore, covalent bonds have weak bonds due to them being molecules and lacking a definite structure. The weaker bonds result in a low melting point. Making the covalent bonds melt first and ionic bonds last.