Experiments

• To carry out flame tests with different salts


  1. Soak a wooden splint in some water

  2. Dip the damp wooden splint into the salt

  3. Hold the splint over a flame and observe colour
• Each metal provides a unique colour due to the different electron configurations of the elements and therefore different electron transitions of energy levels
• To measure the relative molecular mass of a volatile liquid

  1. Get the mass of a clean, dry conical flask including the tinfoil and rubber band

  2. Get the volume of the conical flask by filling it entirely with water and pouring it into a graduated cylinder

  3. Place propanone into the conical flask and put the tin foil with rubber band around the top of conical flask

  4. Put a pin hole in tin foil to ensure pressure inside conical flask is the same outside conical flask, i.e. obtained using a barometer

  5. Place conical flask in a water bath and heat until liquid has vaporised - use a thermometer to determine temperature

  6. Remove flask from water bath and dry. Allow to cool

  7. Reweigh the conical flask and get the difference - this is the mass of the volatile liquid

  8. Calculate mr
• Use PV = nRT to calculate no.moles
• Units are very important here. P = Pascals, V = m³, n=no, moles, R 8.3 (universal gas constant), T = Kelvin
• To prepare a standard solution of sodium carbonate

  1. Measure a known mass of sodium carbonate on a clock glass and mass balance

  2. Add the mass to a clean/dry beaker

  3. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium carbonate into the beaker

  4. Add a small volume of deionised water to dissolve the sodium carbonate

  5. Use a clean glass rod to stir the solution to ensure powder dissolves completely

  6. Add the solution to a 250 mL clean/dry volumetric flask using a funnel slowly to avoid splashing and loss of solution

  7. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium carbonate into the volumetric flask

  8. Fill the volumetric flask to the calibration mark and read at eye level and filled up to the bottom of the meniscus. Use a dropper to ensure accuracy

  9. Stopper the volumetric flask and invert 20 times to mix thoroughly
• To use the standard solution of sodium carbonate to standardise a given hydrochloric acid solution


  1. Rinse pipette with deionised water and then sodium carbonate

  2. Pipette 25mL of sodium carbonate into clean conical flask

  3. Rinse burette with deionised water and then HCI

  4. Clamp burette vertically

  5. Fill burette so that bottom of meniscus is on the mark when read at eye level

  6. Place white tile underneath conical flask - see colour change better

  7. Add 3 drops methyl orange

  8. Titrate, ensuring that the conical flask is swirled and the sides are washed with a little deionised water

  9. Stop titration once first permanent faint pink colour is observed

  10. First titration is a rough titration. Perform two more titrations - ensuring the final two titrations are within 0.1mL of each other
• Na2CO3 + 2HCI 2NaCl + H2O + CO₂
• Colour change: Orange to faint pink
• To prepare a solution of sodium hydroxide and standardise it with a standard hydrochloric acid solution to prepare sodium chloride


  1. Measure a known mass of sodium hydroxide on a clock glass and mass balance

  2. Add the mass to a clean/dry beaker

  3. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium hydroxide into the beaker

  4. Add a small volume of deionised water to dissolve the sodium hydroxide

  5. Use a clean glass rod to stir the solution to ensure solid dissolves completely

  6. Add the solution to a 250 ml, clear/dry volumetric flask using a funnel slowly to avoid splashing and loss of solution

  7. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium hydroxide into the volumetric flask

  8. Fill the volumetric flask to the calibration mark and read at eye level and filled up to the bottom of the meniscus. Use a dropper to ensure accuracy

  9. Stopper the volumetric flask and invert 20 times to mix thoroughly

  10. Rinse pipette with deionised water and then sodium hydroxide

  11. Pipette 25mL of sodium hydroxide into clean conical flask

  12. Rinse burette with deionised water and then HCL

  13. Clamp burette vertically

  14. Fill burette so that bottom of meniscus is on the mark when read at eye level

  15. Place white tile underneath conical flask- see colour change better

  16. Add 3 drops methyl orange

  17. Titrate, ensuring that the conical flask is swirled and the sides are washed with a little deionised water

  18. Stop titration once first permanent faint pink colour is observed

  19. First titration is a rough titration. Perform two more titrations ensuring the final two titrations are within 0.1mL of each other

  20. Pour a small sample of the solution into an evaporating dish. Evaporate the solution and note the presence of white crystals - sodium chloride
• NaOH + HCI NaCl + H₂O
• To determine the concentration of ethanoic acid in vinegar


  1. Rinse pipette with deionised water and then vinegar solution

  2. Pipette vinegar to a volumetric flask and add water to dilute

  3. Fill the volumetric flask to the calibration mark and read at eye level and filled up to the bottom of the meniscus. Use a dropper to ensure accuracy

  4. Stopper the volumetric flask and invert 20 times to mix thoroughly

  5. Rinse pipette with deionised water and then sodium hydroxide

  6. Pipette 25mL of sodium hydroxide into clean conical flask

  7. Rinse burette with deionised water and then the diluted vinegar

  8. Clamp burette vertically

  9. Fill burette so that bottom of meniscus is on the mark when read at eye level

  10. Place white tile underneath conical flask - see colour change better

  11. Add 3 drops phenolphthalein

  12. Titrate, ensuring that the conical flask is swirled and the sides are washed with a little deionised water

  13. Stop titration once pink.colour goes colourless

  14. First titration is a rough titration. Perform two more titrations - ensuring the final two titrations are within 0.1mL of each other
• CH3COOH + NaOH CH3COONa+ H₂O
• To determine the water of crystallisation in hydrated sodium carbonate (washing soda)


  1. Measure a known mass of sodium carbonate crystals on a clock glass and mass balance

  2. Add the mass to a clean/dry beaker

  3. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium carbonate into the beaker

  4. Add a small volume of deionised water to dissolve the sodium carbonate

  5. Use a clean glass rod to stir the solution to ensure crystals dissolves completely

  6. Add the solution to a 250 mL clear/dry volumetric flask using a funnel slowly to avoid splashing and loss of solution

  7. Use a wash bottle (deionised water) to wash all traces of the sodium carbonate into the volumetric flask

  8. Fill the volumetric flask to the calibration mark and read at eye level and filled up to the bottom of the meniscus. Use a dropper to ensure accuracy

  9. Stopper the volumetric flask and invert 20 times to mix thoroughly

  10. Rinse pipette with deionised water and then sodium carbonate

  11. Pipette 25mL of sodium carbonate into clean conical flask

  12. Rinse burette with deionised water and then HCI

  13. Clamp burette vertically

  14. Fill burette so that bottom of meniscus is on the mark when read at eye level

  15. Place white tile underneath conical flask - see colour change better

  16. Add 3 drops methyl orange

  17. Titrate, ensuring that the conical flask is swirled and the sides are washed with a little deionised water

  18. Stop titration once first permanent faint pink colour is observed

  19. First titration is a rough titration. Perform two more titrations - ensuring the final two titrations are within 0.1mL of each other