Aimee Lorraine C.

Capinpuyan Experiment #3 Freezing Point Depression

#7A 12/09/10

I. Abstract The main objective of this experiment was to determine the identity of an unknown fatty acid using the data derived from the freezing point depression. This objective was realized through a series of procedures, beginning with the determination of the freezing point of naphthalene (C10H8) and followed by the determination of the new freezing point when 1.0 grams of an unknown substance was added in increments of 0.5 grams. The resulting data was then averaged and then plotted. Finally, after plugging in the derived values into the equation for the freezingpoint depression constant, it was found that the unknown substance was sulfur, or S8. II. Introduction This experiment relied heavily on the properties that a substance takes on when a solute is mixed in with a pure solvent. These are called colligative properties, and they rely only on the proportions of solute to solvent instead of the identities of the substances being mixed. In this experiment, we measured the freezing point of naphthalene, and then subtracted it from the value of the freezing point of a mixture containing naphthalene and an unknown fatty acid. In this way, we will be obtained , or change in temperature, in order to satisfy the following equation:  where Kf is the molal freezing-point depression constant for the pure solvent (which, n our case, is naphthalene and has a value of 6.9     ), and m is the concentration expressed as the number of moles of solute dissolved in 1 kg of solvent, or molality. III. Methods In determining the freezing point of naphthalene, 10 grams of the white powdery substance was heated in water above 85 inside a test tube apparatus with a two-holed stopper, with one hole for the thermometer and the other for the metal stirrer. When the temperature of the naphthalene reached above 85 , it was removed from the water and cooled. Starting from 85 , the mixture was stirred vigorously, and its temperature was noted every thirty seconds, including the point at which the naphthalene began to form white crystals. The crystals were melted back into a transparent liquid, and a second trial was performed. The process was repeated with the same amount of naphthalene plus 1.0 grams of an unknown bright yellow powder in increments of 0.5 grams. IV. Results The results of the experiment are as follows. Figure 1. Experiment Data Table Capinpuyan | Page 1 of 4

Pure Naphthalene Temperature (C) Time (sec) Trial 1 Trial 2 Ave. 0 85.0 85.0 85.0 15 30 80.5 82.0 81.3 45 60 77.5 78.0 77.8 75 90 76.5 76.2 76.4 105 120 76.0 76.0 76.0 135 150 75.9* 75.8* 75.9 165 180 75.8 75.8 75.8 195 210 75.5 75.5 75.5 225 240 75.4 75.4 75.4 255 270 75.3 75.3 75.3 285 300 75.1 75.1 75.1 315 330 75.0 ** 75.0** 75.0 345 360 75.0 75.0 75.0 375 390 75.0 75.0 75.0 405 420 75.0 75.0 75.0 435 450 465 480 495 510 525 540 555 *crystallization begins

Pure Naphthalene + 0.5g unknown Time (sec) 0 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 360 375 390 405 420 435 450 465 480 495 510 525 540 555

Pure Naphthalene + 1.0g unknown Temperature (C) Time Temperature (sec) (C) Trial 1 Trial 2 Ave. 85.0 85.0 85.0 0 85.0 81.5 83.8 82.7 15 83.0 80.0 81.5 80.8 30 82.9 79.0 79.5 79.3 45 80.0 77.0 78.8 77.9 60 79.0 76.0 76.8 76.4 75 77.0 75.5* 75.7 75.7 90 76.0 75.3 75.0* 75.3 105 75.0 75.0 75.0 75.0 120 74.5 75.0 75.0 75.0 135 74.3 75.0 74.9 75.0 150 74.0 75.0 74.8 74.9 165 74.0* 74.9 74.8 74.9 180 74.0 74.5 74.5 74.5 195 74.0 74.5 74.4 74.5 210 73.9 74.5 74.4 74.5 225 73.8 74.5 74.2 74.4 240 73.5 74.5 74.1 74.3 255 73.5 74.3 74.0 74.2 270 73.4 74.0 74.0 74.0 285 73.2 74.0 74.0 74.0 300 73.1 73.9 74.0 74.0 315 73.0 73.9 74.0 74.0 330 72.5 73.3 73.9 73.6 345 72.5 73.3 73.8 73.6 360 72.5 73.0 73.5 73.3 375 72.5 73.0 73.5 73.3 390 72.4 73.0 73.4 73.2 405 72.4 73.0 73.3 73.2 420 72.3 73.0 73.2 73.1 435 72.3 73.0 73.1 73.1 450 72.3 73.0 73.0 73.0 465 72.0 ** 73.0 73.0 73.0 480 73.0** 73.0 73.0 495 72.9 73.0** 72.9 510 72.9 72.9 72.9 525 72.8 72.8 72.8 540 72.5 72.5 72.5 555 ** mixture is completely solid

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Figure 2. Temperature vs. Time Chart

90 85
Naphthalene.

Temperature (C)

80 75 70 65
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360 390 420 450 480 510 540

Naphthalene + 0.5 g unknown Naphthalene + 1.0 g unknown

Time (seconds) The above cooling curve compares the recorded temperatures and times from the three parts of the experiment. The blue line, describing pure naphthalene, is the most elevated, while the red and the green lines, describing the naphthalene plus unknown substance mixture, are lower. This shows the depression that the freezing point is subjected to when a pure solute is mixed in with a solvent. As evidenced by the graph shown above, the freezing point is clearly lowered when 1.0 grams of a new substance is added to the pure solution (green line). According to Principles of General Chemistry by Martin Silberberg, the reason behind this phenomenon is that since in a solution, only solvent molecules can solidify, traces of solute molecules may be left behind, forming a slightly more concentrated solution. At the freezing point, the solid solvent and the liquid solution are in equilibrium, and because the vapor pressure of the solution is lower than that of the solvent at any given temperature, the solution freezes at a lower temperature than the solvent, or the solution solidifies at a lower temperature. Calculations  Kfnaph = 6.9 Solving for freezing point of pure substance) - (freezing point of solution) = 75.9 C 74.0 C 1.9 C or 2.0 C Solving for m:  2.0 C = 6.9
 

_________ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ ____________ ____

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m = 0.289855072 m= m= m= = =

                    


or 0.29

Solving for unknown: Let x be the molar mass of the unknown.



       

  

x = 345 g

Computing for the percentage error Percent error in molar mass:   The value computed for the molecular weight of the unknown is 345 grams. Taking into account the bright yellow powdery appearance of the unknown, we can infer that it is sulfur, or S8. However, there is a big gap between the known mass of S8 (256.56 g/mol) and the calculated one. Possibly, one source of error in this case is that not all of the sulfur was transferred into the test tube, or there was an incorrect weighing of the sulfur. Another possible source is a misreading of the temperature. There is always an uncertainty regarding the data for the temperatures we gathered since the thermometer used was accurate only to a tenths of a degree, and the readings of those small graduations were mere approximations. Lastly, while it is possible that foreign material might have fallen into the mixture, the results would not have been affected if this foreign material were insoluble, because this insoluble material cannot participate in the reaction.  Percent error in freezing point:

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V.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can compute for the value of the molecular mass of an unknown substance in a solution by first deriving the freezing point of the pure solution, followed by deriving that of the mixture, and then lastly by plugging those values into the freezing-point depression constant equation as shown above. VI. References 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphthalene 2. http://www.tarleton.edu/Faculty/alow/1084exp1.htm 3. http://www.brainmass.com/homework-help/chemistry/other/231702 4. Principles of General Chemistry, M. Silberberg

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