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6.3: Determination of Empirical Formula - Data and Report

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    Name: ____________________ Partner(s): ____________________ Date: ____________________

    DATA AND OBSERVATIONS

    Part A: Mass of Water by Thermal Dehydration

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Dehydration Data
    Measurement Description Mass (g)
    1. Mass of empty crucible and lid __________
    2. Mass of crucible, lid, and copper chloride hydrate __________
    3. Mass of copper chloride hydrate sample (2 – 1) __________
    4. Mass of crucible, lid, and anhydrous copper chloride __________
    5. Mass of anhydrous copper chloride (4 – 1) __________
    6. Mass of water of hydration lost (3 – 5) __________

    Show calculation for Mass of Anhydrous Copper Chloride (4 – 1):

    __________
     
     

    Show calculation for Mass of Water Lost (3 – 5):

    __________
     
     

    Part B: Mass of Copper by Displacement Reaction

    Table \(\PageIndex{2}\): Copper Displacement Data
    Measurement Description Mass (g)
    7. Mass of dry filter paper __________
    8. Mass of filter paper + dry recovered copper metal __________
    9. Mass of recovered copper metal (8 – 7) __________

    Show calculation for Mass of Recovered Copper Metal (8 – 7):

    __________
     
     

    Part C: Mass of Chlorine in the Original Sample

    \[ \text{Mass of Chlorine} = \text{Mass of Hydrate (3)} - \text{Mass of Water (6)} - \text{Mass of Copper (9)} \]

    Table \(\PageIndex{3}\): Chlorine Mass Determination
    Measurement Description Mass (g)
    10. Mass of chlorine in sample (3 – 6 – 9) __________

    Show calculation for Mass of Chlorine (3 – 6 – 9):

    __________
     
     

    Part D: Empirical Formula Determination

    Table \(\PageIndex{4}\): Mole Calculations and Ratio Analysis
    Component Calculated Moles Calculation Setup / Work
    11. Water (H2O) __________

    __________
     
    12. Copper (Cu) __________

    __________
     
    13. Chlorine (Cl) __________

    __________
     

    Simplest Whole-Number Mole Ratio Calculation (Cu : Cl : H2O). Show your work:

    __________
     
     
     

    Empirical Formula of Copper Chloride Hydrate: ____________________

     

    IUPAC Chemical Name of Hydrate: ____________________

     

    POST-LAB QUESTIONS

    1. If a student overheated the hydrated salt, causing decomposition into black copper(II) oxide (CuO), how would this operational error affect the calculated mass of water lost and the calculated mole ratio of H2O to Cu? Explain clearly.

      __________
       
       
       
       

    2. Explain the chemical role of aluminum wire in this experiment. Write balanced net ionic equations for the reduction of Cu2+ by Al0 and the reaction of unreacted Al0 with HCl(aq).

      __________
       
       
       
       

    3. If copper metal fine powder passed through the filter paper during vacuum filtration and was lost in the filtrate, how would this loss affect the calculated mass of chlorine and the resulting Cu:Cl mole ratio?

      __________
       
       
       
       

    4. A student obtained the following experimental data:
      • Mass of hydrated salt = 5.00 g
      • Mass of anhydrous salt = 3.98 g
      • Mass of recovered copper metal = 1.25 g
      Calculate the empirical formula of this copper chloride hydrate. Show all steps clearly.

      __________
       
       
       
       

    This page titled 6.3: Determination of Empirical Formula - Data and Report was last modified on Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:12:09 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Vincent Hradil and Saadia Khan.