Magnesium Oxide Lab

Kayla Bryan
October 8, 2010
AP Chemistry / Pd 7-8
 Data Table 1
Trial 1 Trial 2

Weight of empty crucible and 35.2 g 35.2 g

cover

Weight of crucible and cover 35.5 g 35.6 g

with Mg
Weight of Mg taken .3 g .4 g
Weight of crucible with MgO 36.0 g 35.9 g
Weight of MgO produced .4 g .7 g
(actual yield)
Weight of oxygen gained .1 g .3 g
% of magnesium in the oxide 75% Mg 57.14% Mg
% of oxygen in the oxide 25% O 42.86% O
Mean % magnesium: 66.07 %

Show The Following Calculations:

1. Theoretical yield of MgO from reaction: Mg(s) + ½ O2(g)  MgO(s)

2. Magnesium oxide is theoretically 60.3% magnesium by mass, show calculations for

your determination of the % of magnesium in your sample. What is your percent
error?
3. Determine your experimental empirical formula.

4. Percent yield of Mg + ½ O2  MgO (actual yield/theoretical yield) × 100%

Results/ Conclusion:

This experiment was conducted to show that when magnesium metal is combined
with heat and oxygen that it produces a grey magnesium oxide powder. We know
that a chemical reaction took place because there were both, a change in color
and the formation of a precipitate. The color went from a silver metal to an orange
when it burned, and then once it burned it turned to a grey ashy powder, which
was the precipitate. To ensure that all of the magnesium would completely react
with O2 you could add at least 5 more minutes of heating time.

Error Analysis Statement:

If some of the magnesium oxide had escaped from the crucible as smoke during
the reaction, the mass percent that was calculated of magnesium would be too
low. The mass calculation would be too low because the mass of magnesium would
not be the same mass that we started with. Therefore, the law of conservation of
mass would apply if the mass is not the same as what you started with. If the
surface of the magnesium ribbon were covered with a thin oxide coating prior to
the reaction, the mass percent calculated of magnesium would be too high. The
mass calculated would be too h E. igh because it is not solely the mass of
magnesium, it would be the mass of magnesium with a thin oxide coating. If there
was an incomplete conversion of Mg3N2, the mass would be different, therefore the
results would be less accurate, and the experiment would have a higher percent
error. Our experimental empirical formula does not match to the theoretical
empirical formula because the ratio of magnesium and oxygen are not the same.
The experimental empirical formula is two magnesium to one oxygen, and the
theoretical empirical formula is two magnesium to two oxygen. The weights do not
match possibly because the scales used in the experiment were not accurate to
the right number of decimal places. There are many sources of error in this
experiment. One source of systematic error would be the scales that were in used
in the experiment because they only go to the tenths decimal place, when the
results could have been much more accurate if they went to the thousandths
place. Possible sources of random error would be not washing the stirring rod of
any magnesium oxide, not measuring the right amount of magnesium from the
beginning, not scraping out all of the substance when weighing in the end, not
enough water, and not heating it long enough.