10/29/08

Magnesium and Hydrochloric Acid Lab

What the Experiment Was:

In this experiment, we were supposed to mix hydrochloric acid with solid magnesium.
This was to be done in the lab, with a group of three. Here is the official problem:

Starting with solid magnesium and 1 molar Hydrochloric Acid, conduct a

metallic single replacement reaction to make 20mL of .5 molar
magnesium chloride.

Now for the process…

Process:

1. The first thing we did was write out the equation, and figure out how much of
each reactant we would need to complete the reaction as stated
2. This is the reaction we found, and balanced

Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq) --> MgCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)

3. We were able to determine that the equation was REDOX, and that the
Magnesium would be reduced. To balance this, the Hydrogen would be oxidized
two times, hence the H2.
4. With this balanced equation, we were able to determine that 20mL of .5 molar
Magnesium Chloride would be .01 moles. (molar = moles/liters) We used the
molar relationship to determine that in order to conduct the reaction, we would
need .01 moles of solid magnesium and .02 moles of Hydrochloric acid. This
means, we needed .24 grams of Magnesium, and 20mL of Hydrochloric acid.
5. After this step, we moved to the lab. We immediately got out our safety goggles
and aprons, and applied them. Safety in the lab was our #1 goal.
6. In the lab, we got a pipette, a beaker, and a graduated cylinder.
7. We went to the Magnesium station and cut the Magnesium strips to exactly .24
grams. We measured this on the scales, using protective weighing paper.
8. Next, we put on our goggles, and went to the Hydrochloric acid station. We
poured slightly more than 20mL into our graduated cylinder, as Mr. Siegel had
instructed. We then poured the Hydrochloric acid from the graduated cylinder
into our beaker.
9. When we were prepared at our stations, we dropped the solid magnesium into the
beaker of Hydrochloric acid. We then observed and recorded our results.
What We Thought Would Happen:

Our original thought was that this was going to be a warm fizzy, because that is
what Mr. Siegel told us would happen, and it did. However, we also believed that we
would be able to use exactly 20mL of Hydrochloric Acid to completely use and/or make a
full reaction with the .24 grams of magnesium. We believed that if we just dumped all of
the acid on top of the magnesium, then the reaction would occur on its own. We were
wrong.

What Actually Happened:

When we conducted our experiment, we got a few extra milliliters of

Hydrochloric Acid, to account for human error on our part. Apparently, we didn’t get
nearly enough, for it took almost 29mL and over 35 minutes for the reaction to occur, and
was still occurring as we left the lab. This was not part of our original plan. As well, we
ended up stirring it in hopes of speeding up the reaction, which more or less worked. It
did not, however, make it fast enough to completely react with the magnesium before the
class time was over.

Conclusion:

After this experiment, we realized several things we did wrong, mostly because
Mr. Siegel told us we did wrong. First of all, when inducing the reaction between the
magnesium and hydrochloric acid, we should have poured the acid little by little on top of
the magnesium, waiting for the reaction to completely occur each time before we added
any more. This would allow us to determine exactly how much hydrochloric acid was
actually needed to completely react with the magnesium, as we have no idea how much
of the 29mL actually reacted with the magnesium. Second of all, we did not allow the
reaction to finish, even though this was not really our fault and due merely to time
constraints. But we realized some things about the experiment in retrospect. The
hydrochloric acid was the limiting reactant in this reaction, for the reaction did not
completely occur with the original amount we used. As well, the magnesium strips were
weighed at .24 grams, but occasionally the scale would fluctuate, so we are not
completely sure if our measure was accurate. If we were to do it again, then we would fix
these grievous errors.