V.

Discussion/Analysis
Objective 1: Classify the given substances as organic or inorganic substances.
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Ethanol; 95% ethyl alcohol(can be derived from
plants, contains carbon and hydrogen bonds)
Water (no carbon bonds are present)
Oil( contains carbon bonds; presence of lipids, a
macromolecule)
NaCl
Incense (Omani Frankincense) incense contains
oils and aromatic compounds, which in turn are
triglycerides containing carbon bonds

Sucrose (is an organic compound derived from the
combination of glucose and fructose)

Naphthalene (composed of benzene, a type of
petrochemical)

1 M glycerol

INORGANIC ORGANIC
Water (H
2
O) Ethanol


The presence of carbon bonds Oil/ Incense
Indicate that a compound
Is organic in nature.
HOCH2-CHOHCH2OH
Glycerol/glycerin

SUCROSE




DISCUSSION FOR FLAMMABILITY TEST
Ethanol/Ethyl Alcohol is flammable because it has a very low flash point, even lower than room
temperature. A flash point is the lowest temperature a volatile material can vaporize to form a mixture
that can be ignited. As temperature increases, combustible vapors become more concentrated in the
air. These vapors in turn, support combustion when the mixture is ignited. According to NAFAA (2002)
ethanol has a low flash point at 16.6 degrees Celsius, it becomes combustible when lit and is highly
flammable.
Insert combustion equation of ethanol
In contrast Vegetable oil is flammable although it does not burn right away because it has a high flash
point. NAFAA (2002) states the flash point of vegetable oil at 327 degrees Celsius which means that
vegetable oil combusts when it is heated to 327 degrees Celsius, otherwise it will not combust,
rendering it nonflammable. Water is nonflammable because according to ScienceFocus (2009) oxygen is
a nonflammable gas; it is in fact an oxidizer. This makes water, which is made up of 2 Hydrogen
molecules and a single oxygen molecule nonflammable. The lack of C bonds also means that water is an
inorganic substance. Incense meanwhile is flammable, although when ignited it does not burst into
flame. This is because of the composition of incense. In our experiment, we used Omani frankincense,
which is used all over the Muslim world. According to Hyams and Cushner (2004), incense is made of
aromatic plant compounds and an especially composed triglyceride base that is designed to function as
a starter and prolonger by means of slow burning, causing flame retardation, leaving instead fragrant
smoke.
CHARRING
After burning sucrose, we noticed a slightly hardened black-brown residue forming in the base
of the evaporating dish. This is because as sucrose burns, Calder (2005) stated that the combustion
reaction illustrated below would result:
Complete combustion:
C12H22O11(solid)+12O2(gas) 12CO2(gas)+11H2O(gas)+energy
Incomplete combustion:
C2H5OH + 2O2 ----> 2CO + 3H2O
Notice that after the reaction, carbon dioxide, water vapor & energy would be the end result. However,
since we are performing an incomplete combustion, we ended up with carbon, which when further
burned, will produce the outcome of the reaction above. This is similar to a cooking method called
caramelization, where sugar is heated to produce its distinctive flavor. Since it contains carbon, we can
also conclude that sugar is an organic material.
Meanwhile, when we heated NaCl, we observed the NaCl particles producing sediments similar
to the NaCl crystals we first observed prior to heating. After heating, no physical or chemical change was
observed. This is because according to Calder (2005) the melting point of NaClis 801 C and the boiling
point is 1465 C. The temperature of the flame produced by the Bunsen burner was not enough to reach
the melting point of NaCl to create a significant phase change in the compound. Since there is no carbon
present in NaCl, it is classified as an inorganic compound.
We heated incense and noticed that after a minute or so, the solid started to liquefy and form
tendrils of fragrant smoke. After heating it intensely, a yellowish-red residue was formed. This is mainly
due to the composition of incense as discussed in the flammability test and the residues color was
primarily due to the solids original color.
SOLUBILITY
Solubility is defined by IUPAC as the analytical composition of a saturated solution expressed as
a proportion of a designated solute in a designated solvent. Using the popular aphorism like dissolves
like, we can say that a highly polar solute can be readily dissolved in a highly polar solvent. Naphthalene
(C10H8) is a non-polar solute and thus will not dissolve with a polar solvent such as H2O. This leads to
the naphthalene particles settling at the bottom, forming a precipitate sediments (precipitate occurs in
chemical change). Ether meanwhile is a nonpolar solvent like naphthalene, and when naphthalene is
added, no naphthalene particles remaining were observed, forming a homogeneous solution. Our
selected solvent, oil is a nonpolar solvent, and we observed that some naphthalene particles were
suspended and others settled at the bottom while the most of the other particles were assumed to be
dissolved. Naphthalene is a nonpolar compound while oil is also a nonpolar compound, which results to
solubility of the solute. After testing with naphthalene, we then used NaCl, which is an ionic compound.
NaCl according to William (2009) is ionic, thus polarity does not apply to it, although it generally acts as a
polar molecule. We can now say that NaCl is readily soluble in water, although we observed some NaCl
particles settling at the bottom, which can be attributable to the temperature of the water(cite source
that might affect solubility). Ether is a nonpolar solvent and NaCl is not soluble with it. Oil is also a
nonpolar solvent and NaCl is not soluble with it. Incense is an organic compound derived from aromatic
compounds and an oil base. Incense is inferred to be nonpolar and does not dissolve with water. It
forms a cloudy mixture when added to ether, whereas it dissolves in oil, although some particles settled
at the bottom. (Ether is polar, incense is nonpolar(?) insoluble dapat ang result *insert shockface here*)
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

In chemistry, electrical conductivity is defined as the measure of the ability of an element to
handle electrical current. In the experiment, no bulb lit up using the solutions listed. However, we
observed that when the electrodes were submerged in the NaCl solution, the solution produced a
veritable amount of bubbles. According to Nilles (2005), glycerol is a poor conductor of electricity
because a.) it is organic and linked covalently , b.) It does not dissociate in water and c.) it is a
nonelectrolyte, whose aqueous solution contains no ions which makes it incapable of conducting
electricity. NaCl, in liquid form meanwhile, is a good conductor of electricity because Wright (2007)
stated that it is an electrolyte, containing ions and is electrically charged. This led to the solution
bubbling when electrodes were put in.(Explain why didnt the bulb lit up. Diba it is expected to light? List
probable causes ) Ethyl alcohol is also a nonelectrolyte, thus it is a poor conductor of electricity. Oil is
also a nonelectrolyte, containing no ions and it is also a poor conductor of electricity.
OBJECTIVE 2
Therefore, we can conclude that water and NaCl are the only inorganic compounds in the
activity. Water showed non-flammable property while NaCl has a high melting point.
After the conduct of the experiment, we can conclude that organic substances are for the most
part flammable and volatile, whereas inorganic substances such as NaCl are nonflammable and
nonvolatile. The charring test results show that inorganic substances such as NaCl generally do not
change chemically, whereas organic compounds such as sucrose leave residues due to the presence of
carbon. Most inorganic compounds do not contain carbon whereas organic compounds contain carbon
and/or carbon bonds. Organic compounds are generally insoluble in water and soluble in organic
solvents whereas inorganic compounds are readily soluble in water and insoluble in organic solvents.
Organic compounds are generally poorer conductors of electricity in aqueous solutions whereas
inorganic compounds are better conductors of electricity. Organic compounds are biological in nature
and are usually gaseous or liquid while inorganic compounds are for the most part, solids. Organic
compounds form covalent bonds whereas Inorganic compounds are for the most part, ionic in nature.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The organic compounds used in the experiment are used in various practical applications.
Naphthalene was previously used as a mothball although the Environmental Protection Agency (1986)
deems it as a possible carcinogen. Ethanol is the most used recreational drug in the world and is present
in alcoholic drinks. NaCl is used as a preservative as well as an additive to food; the same is true with
glycerol. Incense is used in religious ceremonies and oil is used in a wide array of cooking methods.
The experiment could be utilized to identify and distinguish between organic and inorganic
compounds. It could also be used to test if the compounds used contain electrolytes or not.
COOPER! IM NOT SURE ABOUT PRACTICAL APPLICATION
REFERENCES
http://nafaa.org/wiki/index.php?title=Welcome_to_The_North_American_Fire_Arts_Association
http://sciencefocus.com/qa/if-water-contains-hydrogen-which-flammable-why-doesnt-it-burn
July 22, 2009
Gina Hyams, Susie Cushner (2004). Incense: Rituals, Mystery, Lore. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-3993-
1.
Calder, Vince 4/11/05 http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03549.htm
The Origin of the "Delta" Symbol for Fractional Charges Jensen, William B. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 545.
Nilles, Dave (2005). "A Glycerin Factor". Biodiesel Magazine.
Wright, M.R. (2007). An Introduction to Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-84293-5
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health and Environmental Effects Profile for
Naphthalene. EPA/600/x-86/241. Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office,
Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development,
Cincinnati, OH. 1986.
http://www.citycollegiate.com/chapter3d.htm

Measurement of Conductivity in Many Fields. (n.d.). Laqua. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from
http://www.horiba.com/application/material-property-characterization/water-analysis/water-quality-
electrochemistry-instrumentation/the-story-of-ph-and-water-quality/the-story-of-
conductivity/measurement-of-conductivity-in-many-fields/
The Importance of Salt in Your Diet. (n.d.). / Nutrition / Healthy Eating. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-importance-of-salt-in-your-
diet.html
Ethanol. (2012, May 6). Infoplease. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/ethanol.html
Yudkin, J.; Edelman, J., Hough, L. (1973). Sugar - Chemical, Biological and Nutritional Aspects of
Sucrose. The Butterworth Group. ISBN 0-408-70172-2.

Toreki, R. (2011, May 13). Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers. Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers. Retrieved
June 23, 2014, from http://www.ilpi.com/safety/extinguishers.html

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