Name: _____________________________ Class: _______________

Experiment: Comparing how substances change state

In this practical you will investigate and compare how two different substances change state.

Apparatus
You will need:
 beaker (250 cm3)
 boiling tube and boiling tube rack
 thermometer (0–100 °C)
 stopclock
 clamp, stand and boss
 Bunsen burner, tripod and gauze
 heat-resistant mat
 stearic acid
 crushed ice
 eye protection

SAFETY INFORMATION
Wear eye protection at all times.

Method for melting stearic acid

1. Fill the beaker with water until it is about three-
quarters full.
2. Place it on a gauze above the Bunsen burner.
3. Wear eye protection, and heat the water with the
Bunsen burner, until it starts to boil.
4. Place 5 g of stearic acid in the boiling tube, and
place this in the beaker of boiling water. Hold a
thermometer, with the bulb in the centre of the
stearic acid, with a clamp, as shown in the diagram.
5. Record the temperature of the stearic acid every
minute until it reaches about 70 °C.
6. Using tongs, carefully lift the boiling tube from the
water and place it in a boiling tube rack. Now
measure and record the temperature every minute
as the stearic acid cools. Record the temperature at
which you see the stearic acid begin to solidify. This
is the melting temperature; it should be near 50 °C.
7. Repeat the investigation with the same stearic acid,
until you have three readings for the melting point.
Omit any anomalies (readings that are very different
from the others) and calculate the mean value.
Results
Note down:
 first melting point of stearic acid
 second melting point of stearic acid
 third melting point of stearic acid
Calculate the mean value for the melting point of stearic acid

Time (min) Temperature (°C)

0
1

Temperature (°C)

First melting point Second melting point Third melting point Average

Method for melting ice and boiling water

1. Put about 3 cm depth of crushed ice into a 250 cm3 beaker.
2. Use the thermometer to record the temperature in the table at time 0 min. In the third column,
write down whether the water is a solid, a liquid or a gas or changing between two of these.
3. Set up the beaker of ice over the Bunsen burner. Light your Bunsen burner and heat the ice over
a blue flame. Start your stopwatch as you start heating.
4. Record the temperature every minute. Do not remove the thermometer from the beaker when you
are reading it.
5. Continue until the water is boiling and then take two more readings.
6. Turn your Bunsen burner off and allow the apparatus to cool before clearing away.
Results
1. Draw up a table like this to record all repeat readings for melting and boiling water. Also record
the temperatures at which ice melts and and which water boils.

Time (min Temperature (°C) State of matter

0
1

Analyse and interpret data

2. Draw two graphs, with lines of best fit and using mean values where apropriate. One graph
should show what happens as stearic acid melts and the other should show the melting of ice and
boiling
of water.
3. Describe what is happening at each stage of when the shape of the graph changes.