EXPERIMENT 3: Identification of a Substance by Physical Properties

Materials: Hot plate Digital balance Capillary tubes (3)

Thermometer Beakers (250 mL)
Watch glass Graduated Cylinder (10 mL)
Mel-Temp apparatus Test tubes (2 small, and 1 large)
Test tube rack (1)

Objective: To learn the use of physical properties such as solubility, density, boiling point, and melting
point in identifying liquids and solids substances.

INTRODUCTION

Every substance has a unique set of properties that allow us to differentiate one from another. These properties
can be classified as either physical properties or chemical properties. Physical properties are those that can be
determined or measured without changing the composition or identity of the substance. These properties include
color, odor, taste, density, melting point, boiling point, conductivity, and hardness. Chemical properties tell us
how a substance interacts with other substances. Such properties include reaction with oxygen (oxidation),
chlorine, metals, etc. Determination of chemical properties results in the change of the identity of the substance.

Some properties, such as solubility, melting point, boiling point, and density are independent of the amount of
substance being examined. These properties are known as intensive properties and are used to identify a
substance. Extensive properties such as mass and volume depend on the amount of substance present and are
not useful in the identification of a substance.

In this experiment, we will use three properties to identify a liquid substance - solubility, density and boiling
point.

Solubility

The solubility of a solute (a dissolved substance) in a solvent (the dissolving medium) is the most important
chemical principle underlying three major techniques you will study in organic chemistry laboratory -
crystallization, extraction, and chromatography

The solubility of a substance is usually defined as the mass (g) of that substance which will dissolve in a fixed
amount of solvent (usually 100g of a liquid) at a given temperature. Depending on its molecular structure, a
solute will have different solubilities in different solvents.

For example, sodium chloride (table salt) is an ionic compound. It is soluble in polar solvents such as water, but
insoluble in non-polar solvents such as cyclohexane or toluene. Sodium chloride may only be slightly soluble in
a solvent that has both polar and non-polar properties. Such a solvent is a weakly polar solvent.

In this experiment, we will use three solvents to compare solubilities: water (polar), cyclohexane (non-polar),
and ethanol (weakly polar). The solubilities will be recorded as soluble (completely dissolved), slightly soluble
(partially dissolved), or insoluble (not dissolved at all). We will use the following terms: “S” for soluble, “I” for
insoluble, and “SLS” or “SS” for slightly soluble.

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Part of this experiment will involve determining whether an organic solid compound is soluble or insoluble in a
given solvent. You should keep in mind that this is actually an over simplification since some solids may be
partially soluble in a given solvent.

If an organic liquid compound dissolves in a solvent, it is sometimes more appropriate to say that the compound
and the solvent are miscible (mix homogeneously in all proportions). Likewise, if an organic liquid compound
is insoluble in the solvent, then they are immiscible (do not mix and forms two liquid phases).

The concentration of a solution can be derived by expressing solubility in quantitative terms. An example is the
solubility of table salt in water which is 35.9 g/100 cc of water.

Density

Density = mass / volume or D = m / v

Density is defined as mass per unit volume. Mass is usually measured in g and volume in mL or cm3. Since two
substances rarely have the same density, it is a useful physical property in order to identify unknown
substances. “Heavy” elements such as lead and gold have high densities while elements that are “light in
weight” typically have low densities. For most substances, the variation in density with temperature is
negligible. It is usually expressed at 20°C, which is considered to be room temperature. The density of water
from 0° to 30°C, is tabulated in Table 1.

The density of a liquid is usually reported in units of grams per milliliter (g/mL). The density of a solid is
reported in units of grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3). Because 1 mL is equivalent to 1 cm3, these units are
interchangeable. The density of water is 1.00000 g/cm3 at 4°C and is slightly less at room temperature (0.9970
g/cm3 at 25°C).

Boiling point

Boiling point is defined as the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid becomes equal to the
pressure at the surface of the liquid. The boiling point of a liquid can change if the pressure at the surface of the
changes. Since pure substances have a distinct boiling points, boiling points are sometimes used to determine
the purity of substances.

A liquid gets converted in to its gaseous state when the temperature of the liquid reaches its boiling point. This
is indicated by bubbles of its vapor rising in all parts of the liquid. This is the temperature at which the pressure
of the saturated vapor of the liquid is equal to the pressure of the atmosphere under which the liquid boils.
Normally, boiling points are determined at standard pressure: 760 mm Hg (torr) or 1 atm.
The boiling point of a liquid is sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure and varies directly with it. At
approximately normal pressure, the boiling point of a liquid will drop about 0.5 C° for every 10-mm Hg drop in
pressure. At much lower pressures, close to 10 mmHg, the temperature will drop about 10 C° when the pressure
is halved.

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Melting point

The melting point of a solid is defined as the temperature at which the liquid and solid phases are in
equilibrium at a given pressure. At this temperature, a solid is converted to liquid. This is an important property
of solids. The melting point of solids, like the boiling point of liquids, is often used for the identification of
substances. The normal melting point of a solid is defined as the temperature at which the solid and liquid
phases of a solid are in equilibrium at a total pressure of 1atm.

Pure crystalline substances have clear, sharply defined melting points. During the melting process, all of the
energy added to a substance is consumed as heat of fusion, and the temperature remains constant. A pure
substance melts at a precisely defined temperature, characteristic of every crystalline substance and dependent
only on pressure.

In contrast to the volume change that accompanies the vaporization of a liquid, the change in volume that takes
place upon the melting of a solid is very small. This makes the melting point of a solid, unlike the boiling point
of a liquid, practically independent of any ordinary pressure change. The melting point of a solid can be easily
and accurately determined with small amounts of material, making this physical property the most used for the
identification and characterization of solids.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
 The unknown liquids used in this experiment are flammable.
 Although the danger of fire is greatly reduced by the use of
small samples, it is not eliminated.
 Keep all liquid samples away from open flames.
 Avoid inhaling vapors from volatile liquids.
 The vapors from the liquids used in this experiment may be
irritating and can be toxic if you are exposed to them for long
periods of time.
 These problems are minimized by using small amounts of the
liquids.
 If you are bothered by the odors of any liquids, work in the
fume hood.
 Avoid skin contact with the volatile liquids.

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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
I. LIQUID - Identification of a liquid substance utilizing the physical properties of solubility, (miscibility),
density and boiling point.
PART A. Solubility
1. Take two test tubes and set them in a rack. Add 2 ml of water to the first test tube and 2 ml of ethanol to
the second test tube. Add 2 ml of your unknown to each test tube, shake well, and observe whether the
two liquids mix completely, partially or not at all.
2. If the two liquids mix completely, it will appear as if only one liquid is present. The two liquids are
soluble (miscible) in each other.
3. If the two liquids do not mix at all, indicated by a visible line of separation after shaking and allowing to
stand for about a minute. The liquids are insoluble (immiscible).
4. The unknown liquid may be „partially soluble‟, as judged by the amount remaining separate after
shaking as compared to the amount initially added. Record the solubility of your unknown as “s” for
soluble, “i” for insoluble, or “sls” for slightly soluble.
PART B. Density
1. Place a 10 ml graduated cylinder on the balance and tare.
2. Transfer about 5 ml of your unknown liquid to the 10 ml graduated cylinder.
3. Record the mass and record the exact volume.
4. Calculate the density of the liquid and record.
5. Save the liquid.

PART C. Boiling point

1. To determine the boiling point of your unknown liquid, pour about 5 ml (retained from your density
determination above) into a large test tube. (See Fig. 1).
2. Add a boiling chip to the liquid.
3. Start a water bath by filling a 250 ml beaker with tap water and place on a hot plate.
4. Using a ring stand and clamp to support the test tube containing the unknown liquid, place a
thermometer into the liquid. Make sure that the bulb of the thermometer is submerged into the liquid.
Submerge the test tube in the boiling water bath.
5. Heat the unknown liquid until it begins to boil, monitoring the thermometer readings. Record the
temperature at which the liquid boils. This will be the point where the liquid is boiling but the
temperature reading is stable. Do not allow the liquid to boil to dryness.

Fig. 1
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II. SOLID - Identification of a solid utilizing the physical properties of solubility in water, solubility in
ethanol, density, and melting point.
PART A. Solubility
1. Take two test tubes and set them in a rack. Add 2 ml of water to the first test tube and 2 ml of ethanol to
the second test tube.
2. Add a FEW crystals of your unknown solid to each of the test tubes. Shake briefly.
3. Observe whether the crystals dissolve completely, dissolve to some extent, or do not dissolve.
4. Record on your data sheet “s” for soluble, “sls” for slightly soluble, or “i” for insoluble.

PART B. Density
1. Fill your 10 ml graduated cylinder to the 5 ml mark with the liquid in which your unknown was not
soluble in Part A.
2. Read the volume to the nearest 0.05 ml. Record this initial volume on your data sheet.
3. Place the 10 ml graduated cylinder + liquid on the balance and tare the balance (re-set to zero).
4. While the graduated cylinder is on the balance, add a few crystals of your unknown to the liquid in the
graduated cylinder until the balance reads about 0.5g. Record the mass of your crystals on the data sheet.
5. Making sure that the crystals are completely submerged, read the final volume of the liquid in the
cylinder. Record this final volume on your data sheet.
6. To find the volume of your solid, subtract the initial volume of the liquid from the final volume of the
liquid.
7. Calculate the density of your solid and record. D = m/v
8. Pour most of the liquid into the sink and dispose of the solid part of the sample in the solid waste
container provided by your instructor.

PART C. Melting point

1. Obtain 3 capillary tubes.
2. Place some of your unknown on a watch glass and push some unknown into the open end of the
capillary tube until you have about ¼ inch of unknown in the tube. Tap the crystals down to the closed
end until they are well packed.
3. Using the Mel-Temp apparatus, set the plateau temperature to 100⁰C. Place 2 capillary tubes into the
apparatus and press start. (See Fig 2 or Fig. 3 using hot water bath). View your samples through the
viewfinder. Record on the data sheet the temperature at the instant the first crystal begins to melt. This is
your melting point. To verify the melting point temperature, you may wish to repeat the procedure with
your last test tube,
4. Discard the capillary tubes in the “Glass Disposal” containers.

Fig. 2 Fig. 3

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 Guidelines for using a single-pan balance:
1. Do not place chemicals directly on the pan. Instead, use a
weighing paper, a beaker, a watch glass, or weighing bottle.
2. Do not weigh hot or warm objects. Objects must be at room
temperature.
3. Return all weight to the zero position after weighing.
4. Clean up any chemical spills in the balance area.
5. Inform your instructor if the balance is not operating
correctly. Do not attempt to repair it yourself.

Reference Table
Substance Density Melting Boiling Solubility
(g/ml) Point ⁰C Point ⁰C
Water Ethanol

Acetone 0.79 -95 56 s s

Heptane 0.58 -91 98 i sls

Isopropyl 0.79 -86 83 s s

Alcohol

Methanol 0.79 -98 65 s s

Naphthalene 1.15 80 218 i sls

Potassium 1.76 92 n/a s i

Alum

Benzil 1.5 95 347 i s

Benzophenone 1.09 49 306 i s

Acetamide 1.16 81 222 s s

1-Propanol 0.8 -127 97 s s

Cyclohexane 0.78 6.5 81.4 i s

Benzoic Acid 1.07 1.22 249 i s

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 EXPERIMENT 3: Identification of a Substance by Physical Properties

REPORT SHEET
Name: ___________________________ Instructor: ___________________________

Date: ___________________________

LIQUID
PART A. Solubility

Liquid: Unknown Number __________

Solubility: Water __________ Ethanol __________

PART B. Density

Weight of the Liquid __________ g Volume of the Liquid __________ml

Density of the Liquid __________ g/ml

Calculation:

PART C. Boiling Point

Boiling Point _________ oC (range) Unknown Liquid Identity ____________

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SOLID

PART A. Solubility

Solid: Unknown Number __________

Solubility: Water __________ Ethanol __________

PART B. Density

Mass of the solid __________ g

Initial Volume of the Liquid __________ ml Final Volume of the Liquid __________ml

Volume of the Solid Unknown __________ ml

Density of the Solid Unknown __________ g/ml

Calculation:

PART C. Melting Point

o
Melting Point : ____________ C (range) Unknown Solid Identity ____________

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 EXPERIMENT 3: Identification of a Substance by Physical Properties

Name: ____________________________

Pre-Laboratory Questions and Exercises

Due before lab begins. Answer in the space provided.

1. In the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (CRC), use the Table of Physical Constants of Inorganic
Compounds to look up the melting point, boiling point and color for the following compounds:

Compound Melting Point Boiling Point Color Page

Lead Iodide

Lead Chromate

Silver Bromide

2. Define the following terms and give two examples of each:

Extensive Property:

Intensive Property:

3. How is solubility expressed? What is the solubility of table salt in water?

5. Besides the physical properties used to identify a substance in this experiment, what other physical
properties might be used to characteristically identify a substance?

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 EXPERIMENT 3: Identification of a Substance by Physical Properties

Name: ____________________________

Post-Laboratory Questions and Exercises

Due after completing the lab. Answer in the space provided.

1. How is the solubility of sugar in water affected by increasing the temperature?

2. Why does an oil and vinegar salad dressing have two separate layers?

3. Classify the following properties of sodium metal as physical or chemical:

a. Silver metallic color _______________ b. Turns gray in air _______________

c. Melts at 98oC _______________ d. Reacts explosively with chlorine _______________

4. A student's liquid unknown boils at approximately 65°C and is soluble in water and ethanol. Its
measured density is 0.80 g/ml. Which substance in Table 1.1 is the student's unknown

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