The unknown compound was composed of small, white crystals as shown in picture 1. The compound was completely odorless, which was tested by simply smelling the compound.
Picture 1 (Unknown Compound):
The solubility test of the unknown compound determined that the compound was soluble in water (H2O). The other known salts that were tested that were also soluble were all of the sulfates and NaCl. These were the only salts tested, because before this experiment it was determined by the flame test that the compound was a sulfate (explained later).
This information means that the unknown compound is polar, because it is soluble in water. This is because H2O, the solvent, is polar, and the solute, the unknown, dissolved in water, because similar compounds will dissolve other similar compounds it can …show more content…
A flame test tests for cations by using thermal energy to move electrons up a level 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). When these excited electrons return back to the stable, ground state, a photon is produced, and based on the wavelength of the photon, a different color will be produced when the compound is burned 3(Gilbert, Kirss, Foster, & Davies, 2014). The test of the unknown compound produced an orange color. An orange color shows the presence of sodium ions 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). But the color also could have been no color which means magnesium ions are present 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). Because this color was too close to the original flame color, so the results were inconclusive. This was due to the fact that the wire was probably not cleaned entirely before it was used in the experiment. The ammonia test showed that no ammonia was present. When ammonia burns, a distinct smell of ammonia is produced 3(Gilbert, Kirss, Foster, & Davies, 2014). This wasn’t present in the unknown compound when it was burned for the cation
Picture 1 (Unknown Compound):
The solubility test of the unknown compound determined that the compound was soluble in water (H2O). The other known salts that were tested that were also soluble were all of the sulfates and NaCl. These were the only salts tested, because before this experiment it was determined by the flame test that the compound was a sulfate (explained later).
This information means that the unknown compound is polar, because it is soluble in water. This is because H2O, the solvent, is polar, and the solute, the unknown, dissolved in water, because similar compounds will dissolve other similar compounds it can …show more content…
A flame test tests for cations by using thermal energy to move electrons up a level 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). When these excited electrons return back to the stable, ground state, a photon is produced, and based on the wavelength of the photon, a different color will be produced when the compound is burned 3(Gilbert, Kirss, Foster, & Davies, 2014). The test of the unknown compound produced an orange color. An orange color shows the presence of sodium ions 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). But the color also could have been no color which means magnesium ions are present 4("Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart," 2014). Because this color was too close to the original flame color, so the results were inconclusive. This was due to the fact that the wire was probably not cleaned entirely before it was used in the experiment. The ammonia test showed that no ammonia was present. When ammonia burns, a distinct smell of ammonia is produced 3(Gilbert, Kirss, Foster, & Davies, 2014). This wasn’t present in the unknown compound when it was burned for the cation