Hydration Lab Essay

The usage of this testing ground is to even up the water supply of hydration of a obscure (CuSO4) by heating it and whence find its chemical formula. It was determined that the compound contained 4 inguens of H2O for every 1 mole of CuSO4, hence had the formula CuSO4 4H2O and copper color II Sulfate Tetrahydrate. However, the literature entertain was 5 moles of oxygen for every 1 mole of CuSO4 (Copper II Sulfate Pentahydrate CuSO4 5H2O).As calculated above in Data Processing, this means that the administer deviation from the literature apprise was 20%. This is significantly less than the dowry uncertainty, which was 37%. This should indicate that the random demerit was high than systematic error, because while there was a high pretend of uncertainty, the literature value still falls within that value, content that the measurements were close enough.In reality, though, this high level of uncertainty says to a greater extent about the inaccuracy of the measuring rod equipment than it does about the sum of systematic error. For example, it is likely that patently non all of the water was removed from the compound. On the contrary, the lab surgical operation instructed to continue trials of heating the compound and unhurriedness it until the mass values were within 0.05g of to each one other. Those in this lab were only 0.01g asunder a difference which would not assume affected the outcome of the lab. This means it is improbable that there was a significant descend of water re importanting in the compound. paygrade of ProcedureIt cannot honestly be verbalise that this lab was executed successfully. This is for two main reasons1. the false result2. the high period of uncertaintyThe first of these is surely the roughly important this lab did not strike the desired result. While the compound had a water of hydration of 5, the lab results said that this value should be 4. In some circumstances, much(prenominal) error could be tol erated indeed, 20% is not terrible. However, the very purpose of the lab was to determine the compound, and this goal was not achieved.The second organise is how uncertain the data really was. ground on the percentage of uncertainty, the water of hydration could project been anywhere from 2.5 to 5.5. This does contain the literature value, hardly has a range of more than half of that value (3/5). If the water of hydration could nearly kick in been 2 or 6, does this lab very reveal anything? It gives a vague estimate of how much water there is, unless little more.Much of the uncertainty was caused by an imprecise carapace used in the initial measurements. Only after the subroutine requested precision to two tenfold places was a more precise de weighing machine used, and the initial measurements were still only correct to 0.1g. Also, if the mass of compound used had been higher, the percentage error would take a shit been less simply because it would be a smaller porti on of the measured value.Improving the InvestigationThis lab did not meet its goal, hence unquestionably should be improved. The simplest change that could be make is to use the more precise scale from the beginning of the experiment. This would reduce the percentage error down to 6.7%, a much more reasonable value. This, however, does not solve the trouble of the inaccurate value determined, because it is unlikely that this scale would have been any more accurate, disrespect being more precise.It is hard to pinpoint, therefore, simply where the experiment went wrong, as it seems that the scales were not at fault but that a capable amount of water had been removed. There was for certain some kind of systematic error. cardinal way that this error might be reduced, even without understanding its source, is to increase the amount of substance measured. Because the lab is about obtaining a ratio, this would not affect the result at all except hopefully to belittle the effect of a ny systematic error. This would, however, have the disadvantage of making the lab take longer, and steps might need to be added to ensure that all of the compound has a chance to dehydrate.