Chemistry Lab Report

Experiment (7): Determination of the molecular mass of metal carbonate

by back Titration

1- Aim: The purpose of this experiment is to determine the

molecular mass of a metal carbonate and hence to determine the molar
mass of the unknown metal to be identified.

2- Introduction: When a metal carbonate is insoluble in water,

some difficulties would arise in titration a standard acid against it.
These can be avoided by dissolving a known quantity of the carbonate in
unreacted acid of the acid solution. The number of moles of HCl that
reacted with the base represent the excess of HCl that has not reacted
with the metal metal carbonate. As a result, we can calculate the
number of moles of HCl that has reacted. Also, number of moles of
metal carbonate can be found, and we can find the molar mass.

3- Apparatus and Chemical:

Burettes, Pipettes, Dropper, Conical flask, Distilled
Apparatus
water bottle.
Sodium hydroxide, Chloric acid, Distilled water,
Chemical
Phenolphthalein, unknown metal carbonate.

4- Discussion:
1- Weight accurately a weighing dish containing not more than (1.5 g)
of the metal carbonate.
2- Empty this carefully into a 250 cm3 conical flask containing 50.0 mL
of 1 M hydrochloric acid and swirl well until no more effervescence is
observed.
3- Transfer the mixture into a 250 cm3 volumetric flask and dilute up
to the mark using distilled water and shake well.

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 4- Pipette 25.0 mL of this solution into a conical flask and titrate
against 0.1 M standard sodium hydroxide. Use phenopthalein as an
indicator.
5- Repeat step (4) three times.

5- Results & Calculation:

1-Mass of MCO3,m1 = 1.50 g.
2-Molarity of NaOH,M NAOH = 0.1 M.
3-Titration

Final burette reading 21.00 41.2 20.5

Initial burette reading 1.00 21.00 0.00
Volume of NaOH used
20.00 20.20 20.50
Final reading- Initial reading
(20.00+20.20+20.50)/3 = 20.23
Average volume of NaOH, Vav
= 0.020 L

4.No.of Moles HCl (in 25.0 mL) reacted with NaOH,n 1HCl:
HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCl (s) + H2O (l)
No.of moles HCl = No.of moles of NaOH
No.of moles of HCl,n 1HCl = Vav*M NaOH = 0.020*0.1= 0.002 mole.
5.Excess moles of HCl n 2Hcl (in250ml)= n 1HCl *(250 ml/25.0 ml)
= n2HCl = 0.002*10 = 0.02 mole.
6.Molarity of HCl (stock),M HCl = 1 M.
7.Volume of HCl Added to MCO 3 ,V HCl = 0.05 L.
8.Total No. of moles of HCl, n(T) = M HCl *V HCl = 1*0.05 = 0.05 mole.
9.No.of moles of HCl reacted with MCO 3 /n3HCl = n(T)-n2HCl = 0.05-0.02
= 0.03 mole.
10.No.of moles of HCl reacted with MCO3,n MCO3:
From the equation: 2HCl (aq)+ MCO3 (aq) MCl2 (aq) + H2O (l) + CO2 (g)
n MCO3 = n3HCl *(1 mol MCO3/2 mol HCl).
n MCO3 = 0.30*0.50 = 1.5 mole.
11.Experimental molar mass of MCO3, MMMCO3 = m1/n MCO3
= 1.50/0.0150 = 100 g.
12.Molar Mass of the CO 3 group, MM CO3-2= 60 g.
13.Experimental molar mass of metal ,MM metal = MM MCO3 - MMCO3-2
= 100 60 = 40 g.

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14.The metal is :Ca.
15.The metal carbonate is : CaCO3.

6- Conclusion: We learn from this experiment how to determine

the molar mass of unknown metal by neutralize the metal carbonate with
NaOH so that titration help us to get the molecule mass of the metal
carbonate, as a result we can know what kind of metal we used in the
experiment.

7- Questions:

1- suggest a reason ,why you can not get an exact mass of the
metal when compared to that in the periodical table?

- Because there is a relative/percentage error while titration, which can

be happened if we dont weight the mass exactly or we lose a lot of
NaOH in the titration.

2- Given the reaction:

BaCO3(S) BaO(S) + CO2(g)
If 85.6 g of impure sample BaCO3 is used, then 10.8 g of CO2 is
obtained. What is the percentage of BaCO3 in the sample?

- 1 mol BaCO 3 1 mol CO2

197.31 g 44.01 g
X 10.8 g
X= 48.4 g of BaCO3
Percentage of BaCO 3 in the Sample = 48.4/85.6*100 = 56.5%

3- Given the reaction:

(NH4)2CO3(aq) + FeCl2(aq) FeCO3(S) +2NH4Cl(aq)
What mass of FeCO3(S) is obtained if 45.0 ml of 0.80 M of
(NH4)2CO3 reacted with excess of FeCl2(aq).

- Moles of (NH 4)2CO3 = V(L)*M = (0.045*0.80) = 0.036 mole

1 mol (NH4)2CO3 : 1 mol FeCO3
Mass of FeCO3 = M.m*n = 115.86*0.036 = 4.2 g

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