Question: what is the appropriate method of identifying compounds as either ionic or covalent based?
Background/Hypothesis
Ionic compounds are created from the strong electrostatic bonding between ions (Brinker, and George 393). The covalent compounds have are formed by bonds that result from sharing of electrons (Mah 31).
Solubility test
Conductivity test
Melting point test
Color and odor test
Oxidation with oxygen test
Steps/Procedures.
Solubility test
0.25 grams of the chemical was placed in a test tube. 1 mL of water was added and stirred using a stirring rod. The addition of I mL was added until the chemical dissolved. The chemical that did not dissolve after adding 10 mL of water was recorded. The unknowns were classified as ionic or covalent (Schwarzenbach et al. 38).
Conductivity
1 gram of the chemical was added to a 50 mL beaker and 20 mL of water was added and stirred. Conductivity test was done and recorded whether the solution resulted in the light shining bright, dim or not at all (Shackelford, et al. 107).
Melting point
1 g of the unknowns were put in test tubes and the test tubes placed on melting point apparatus. The temperatures at which each chemical started to melt and when the whole sample melted completely were recorded.
Color and odor
The color and odor of each chemical were recorded.
Oxidation with oxygen
Small amounts of the unknowns were placed at the end of a spatula and placed in a Bunsen burner flame. Observations of whether the unknowns burned or not were put down. Based on this data, the substances were indicated as for whether ionic or covalent (Silberberg 44).
Materials
Bunsen burner
Spatula
10 mL graduated cylinder
Stirring rod
Test tubes
50 mL beaker
Weighing paper
Watch glass
Melting apparatus
Work cited
Brinker, C J, and George W. Scherer. Sol-Gel Science: The Physics and Chemistry of Sol-Gel Processing. Boston [u.a.: Acad. Press, 1993. Print.
Mah, Kirsten. Science in Action 9. Toronto: Addison Wesley, Pearson Education Canada, 2002. Print.
Schwarzenbach, René P, Philip M. Gschwend, and Dieter M. Imboden. Environmental Organic Chemistry. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. Internet resource.
Shackelford, James F, and R H. Doremus. Ceramic and Glass Materials: Structure, Properties, and Processing. New York: Springer, 2008. Internet resource.
Silberberg, Martin S. Principles of General Chemistry. Boston [etc.: Mcgraw-Hill, 2007. Print.
