Heat of Solution Lab

Name: Kyle Zukowski

Date: 11/02/15 - 11/09/15
Block: B4
Objective: Determine how the heat of a solution changes with the addition of various
solutions
Problem Question: How does the type of salt affect the temperature of the water
solution?
Hypothesis: If Ammonium Chloride is added to a water solution, then the change in
temperature will be a negative number because bonds are being broken.

Variables:
Independent Variable: Type of Salt
(Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride)
Dependent Variable: Final Temperature (Celsius)
Change in Temperature (Celsius)
Constants: Amount of Salt
Amount of Water
Amount of Time
Temperature of Water
Control: A beaker of water with no salt added.

Materials:
-

50 mL beaker
3 Weigh board, one per salt
3 Spatulas, one per salt
5g of Sodium Chloride, NaCL
5g of Calcium Chloride, CaCl
5g of Ammonium Chloride NHCL
Distilled water (in bottle)
Digital Scale
Thermometer (Celsius)
Stopwatch (use phone)

Safety Guideline:

Do not mix the different chemicals together

Wash hands after cleanup is complete

Procedure:
1. Using a weigh boat and digital scale, measure out 5 grams of ammonium
chloride.
2. Using a 50 mL beaker, measure out 40 mL of distilled water
3. Using a thermometer, record the initial temperature of the water. Wait until
the thermometer reading levels off before recording value. Record the value in the
data table.
4. Add the 5 grams of ammonium chloride to the 40 mL of water
5. Using the stirring rods, stir the solution for 1 minute.
6. After 1 minute, use the thermometer to record the final temperature. Wait
until the thermometer reading levels off before recording value. Record value in the
data table.
7. Follow clean up procedure.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 for Calcium chloride & Sodium Chloride.
Clean Up:
- All chemicals will be poured into labeled waste beakers - located in the
hood
- Wash all glassware and weigh boats with the Alconox solution (soap) and a
test tube brush. Rinse thoroughly and lay to dry towels next to sink
- Wash and dry the thermometer with the Alconox solution and place back
into the protective container. Return it to the cart
- Wipe your lap station & sink clean with small amount of soapy water. Rinse
and dry it
- Remove your goggles and apron and return them to their stations
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
Data Table:
Type of Solid

Initial Temperature
(C)

Ammonium Chloride 23

Final Temperature
(C)

Difference in
Temperature

17

-6

Calcium Chloride

23

31

Sodium Chloride

23

24

Control

23

23

Calculations:
Ammonium Chloride -> 17 - 23 = -6
Calcium Chloride -> 31 - 23 = 8
Sodium Chloride -> 24 - 23 = 1
Control -> 23 - 23 = 0
Graph:

Validity:
- State 3 constants
- Explain how keeping these constants helped to improve the validity of the
data. If you did change them, how would they affect or skew the data? Be specific.
- Identify 3 improvements that could be made to the procedure to make the
experiment more controlled.
- Explain how each change you identified improves the validity of the data.
How would leaving it the same effect or skew the data? Be specific.

Some constants in this experiment are the water temperature, the amount of salt,
and the amount of water. These constants helped the validity because if the water
temperature was different, than the salt would act differently. The amount of salt is also
important because if you add in a lot of salt, or too little salt, the effects that you feel and
see will be different. Lastly, the amount of water is important because if you have too much
water, then the salt will affect the water differently because there is a lot of water or a little
water.
Some improvements that could be made are that there could have been different
thermometers for each type of salt, there could have been a set amount of time that had to
be waited before putting the salt in, and there could have been new scales used. These
could have affected the experiment because the thermometers could not have been fully
cleaned, so there could have been salt still on it. Also, if there was a set time that there is
to wait to pour the salt into the beaker, so that the water can get to room temperature.
Lastly, new scales should have been used because they could have gotten salt on them
that could have affected the measurement.

Conclusion:

- What was your hypothesis? Was your hypothesis correct? Explain using
data. Reference both table and graph.
- State independent and dependent variable. Explain the relationship
between the variables.
- Using the data, determine which salt produced an exothermic reaction and
which salt produced an endothermic reaction.
- What would be a real world application for ammonium chloride and calcium
chloride? Research uses.
The hypothesis was If Ammonium Chloride is added to a water solution, then the
change in temperature will be a negative number because bonds are being broken. This
hypothesis was correct because in graph, it shows that the Ammonium Chloride went
down in temperature while the others stayed the same or went up.
The independent variable is the type of salt, while the dependent variable is the
temperature of the water. The relationship between these two is that when the Ammonium
Chloride is added, then the water temperature goes down, while when the Calcium
Chloride is added, then the temperature goes up.
The type of salt that produced an exothermic reaction was the Calcium Chloride,
while the Ammonium Chloride produced an endothermic reaction. One use for Calcium
Chloride in the world is to melt ice. When the Calcium Chloride comes in contact with the
ice, it will start to heat it up, thus melting it. Another use for Ammonium Chloride is to
reduce the amount of ammonia released in some industrial industries.