Since there are more than 50 million chemical compounds on Earth and even more being discovered or synthesized each year, it is increasingly difficult to identify compounds.1 However, with the help of physical and chemical properties of the atoms or molecules that make up a compound, identifying a chemical compound is not as daunting as it may seem. There are three main types of chemical compounds: metallic, covalent, and ionic compounds.2 In this experiment, however, the unknown compounds are specifically ionic.
An ionic compound is made up of a metal atom and a nonmetal atom. When a metal atom ionically bonds to a nonmetal atom, the metal atom transfers one or more of its electrons to the nonmetal atom, causing the metal atom to become a …show more content…
The anion of the unknown compound can be identified when precipitation reactions and other chemical reactions occur by adding a specific compound to the unknown compound.8 A precipitation reaction occurs when anions and cations combine in aqueous solution to produce an insoluble solid, called a precipitate.9 Solubility rules for ionic compounds can determine whether a precipitation reaction will occur.9 Therefore, the number of possible compounds and anions that the unknown compound could be, decreases based on solubility.9 If a precipitate fails to form, this indicates that the products are soluble.10 If a gas is formed, then writing the chemical equation can determine the anion based on the …show more content…
Therefore, when referencing Figure 1, the cation that produces a yellow flame is Na+. When heated, Na emits photons with a specific wavelength that is yellow on the visible spectrum.6
When the compound reacted with 1.00 M HCl and BaCl2 separately, no reaction occurred and no precipitate formed. However, when the compound reacted with AgNO3, a white precipitate formed, and therefore, from Figure 2, the anion is identified as Cl-. Most sliver compounds are insoluble, and when a soluble compound that contains Cl- reacts with AgNO3, an insoluble silver chloride precipitate forms.11 Since the cation is Na+ and the anion is Cl-, the unknown ionic compound is sodium chloride,
An ionic compound is made up of a metal atom and a nonmetal atom. When a metal atom ionically bonds to a nonmetal atom, the metal atom transfers one or more of its electrons to the nonmetal atom, causing the metal atom to become a …show more content…
The anion of the unknown compound can be identified when precipitation reactions and other chemical reactions occur by adding a specific compound to the unknown compound.8 A precipitation reaction occurs when anions and cations combine in aqueous solution to produce an insoluble solid, called a precipitate.9 Solubility rules for ionic compounds can determine whether a precipitation reaction will occur.9 Therefore, the number of possible compounds and anions that the unknown compound could be, decreases based on solubility.9 If a precipitate fails to form, this indicates that the products are soluble.10 If a gas is formed, then writing the chemical equation can determine the anion based on the …show more content…
Therefore, when referencing Figure 1, the cation that produces a yellow flame is Na+. When heated, Na emits photons with a specific wavelength that is yellow on the visible spectrum.6
When the compound reacted with 1.00 M HCl and BaCl2 separately, no reaction occurred and no precipitate formed. However, when the compound reacted with AgNO3, a white precipitate formed, and therefore, from Figure 2, the anion is identified as Cl-. Most sliver compounds are insoluble, and when a soluble compound that contains Cl- reacts with AgNO3, an insoluble silver chloride precipitate forms.11 Since the cation is Na+ and the anion is Cl-, the unknown ionic compound is sodium chloride,