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Exp.1 The Solubility of a Salt

Engineering Thermofluids (University of Windsor)

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CHEM 1103 2021 Experiment 1

EXPERIMENT 1
An Introduction to Data Collection: The Solubility of a Salt

Objectives
 Become familiar with data collection and analysis using a temperature probe and LabQuest data
collection software.
 Collect the experimental data necessary to construct a solubility curve for potassium chloride in
water.

Background
Solubility is an important physical property in chemistry which describes the amount of solute that
dissolves in a given amount of solvent. The solubility of chemical compounds varies extremely and can
be affected by factors such as pressure, temperature, pH, and intermolecular forces or interionic forces
in both the solute and the solvent. For most ionic compounds, solubility varies directly with
temperature, thus, solubility is often expressed as the mass of solute that dissolves in 100 g of water at
a particular temperature.
A saturated solution is a solution that contains the maximum amount of dissolved solute at a
given temperature. In this type of solution dissolution and precipitation are occurring at the same rate,
thereby satisfying the requirement for a dynamic equilibrium. Two statements can be made about this
solution: (1) the two processes, dissolution and precipitation, are going on at the same time, and (2)
the number of molecules or ions in the solution remains constant. For example, the equilibrium of
sodium chloride with its ions in a saturated solution would be shown by the equation

NaCl(s) Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)

An unsaturated solution contains less solute than does a saturated solution, i.e., no equilibrium
is present. When additional solute is added to an unsaturated solution, it dissolves. When additional
solute is added to a saturated solution, the amount of dissolved solute does not increase, because the
limit of solubility has already been reached. A super saturated solution contains more than the
maximum amount of dissolved solute than a saturated solution under the same conditions. Since
solubility often varies with temperature a solution that is saturated at one temperature may be
unsaturated at a different temperature. As well, temperature changes may cause a saturated solution
to become super saturated.
In this experiment, you will collect data using temperature probe and LabQuest interface to
investigate the effect of changing temperature on the amount of potassium chloride (KCl) that will
dissolve in a given amount of water. You will completely dissolve different known quantities of KCl in
the same volume of water at a high temperature. As each solution cools, you will monitor temperature
and record the precise temperature at which solid crystals start to form. At this moment, the solution
is saturated and contains the maximum amount of solute at that temperature. Each data pair consists
of a solubility value (g of solute per 100 g H 2O) and a corresponding temperature. A graph of the
temperature-solubility data, known as a solubility curve, can be obtained. Solubility curves are used to

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predict the mass of solute in water at any given temperature. Typical solubility curves are shown in
Figure 1.1. Here solid lines represent saturated solutions. Unsaturated solutions exist below the solid
line, whereas super saturated solutions exist above the solid line.

Figure 1.1 Typical Solubility Curves

Glassware & Equipment

 Balance  Test tubes: 5 (18 x 150 mm)
 Beakers: 250 & 400 mL  Test tube rack
 Graduated cylinder: 10 mL  Utility clamps (2)
 Hot plate  Vernier LabQuest interface
 Retort stand  Vernier Temperature probe
 Stirring rod  Weighing funnel and spatula

Chemicals
 Potassium chloride (KCl)

Procedure
1. Power-on the LabQuest unit (top left power button). The LabQuest App launches automatically.
Connect a temperature probe to the CH 1 port. The LabQuest App will auto-ID the connected
sensor and a live reading will appear in the Meter screen.

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2. Set up the data-collection mode: On the Meter screen, tap Mode. Change the mode to Events
with Entry. Enter the Name (Solubility) and Units (g/100g). Select OK.
3. Fill a 400 mL beaker three-fourths full of tap water. Place it on a hot plate situated on (or next
to) the base of a retort stand (watch for hot plate power cord not to touch the hot surface).
Heat the water bath to about 90°C and adjust the heat to maintain the water at this
temperature. Place the temperature probe in the water bath to monitor the temperature and
to warm the probe. To keep from damaging the temperature probe wire, hang it over another
utility clamp pointing away from the hot plate, as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 Equipment Set-up

4. Use the weighing funnel, measure out the amount of KCl required for the first test tube as
shown in the second column of Table 1.1 from your Data Sheets (amount per 5 mL). Record the
exact mass with the correct number of decimal places. Transfer to a clean and dry test tube.
5. Add precisely 5.0 mL of distilled water to the test tube, measured from a 10-mL graduated
cylinder. Note: The fourth column in Table 1 (amount per 100 g of H 2O) is proportional to your
measured quantity and is the amount you will enter for your graph in Step 7. Calculate this
value before proceeding. Assume 1.0 g/mL for the density of water.
6. Use a utility clamp to fasten the test tube to the retort stand. Lower the test tube into the
water as shown in Figure 1.2. Use a stirring rod to stir the mixture until the KCl is completely
dissolved. Note: In order to dissolve all the KCl, Test Tubes 3 and 4 need to be heated to a higher
temperature than Test Tubes 1 and 2.
7. You are now ready to collect temperature-solubility data:
i) When the salt is completely dissolved, remove the temperature probe from the water bath,
wipe it dry, and place it into the solution in the test tube.
ii) Tap Collect to start the data collection.
iii) Unfasten the utility clamp holding the test tube from the ring stand. Use the clamp to hold
the test tube up to the light to look for the first sign of crystal formation. At the same time,
stir the solution with a slight up and down motion of the temperature probe. Note: Test
tubes 1 and 2 may be cooled to lower temperatures using cool tap water in a 250 mL beaker.
This drops the temperature much faster than air. If the crystals form too quickly, briefly
warm the test tube in the hot-water bath and re-dissolve the solid. Then repeat the cooling
and collect the data pair.

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iv) Now crystallization starts to occur, tap Keep . Enter the mass in grams (the solubility
value in column 3 of Step 1, g per 100 g H2O). Select OK to store the temperature-mass data
pair.
v) After you have saved the temperature-mass data pair, return the test tube to the test tube
rack and place the temperature probe in the water bath for the next trial.
8. Repeat Steps 4 – 7 for each of the other four samples listed in Table 1.1.
9. When you have collected the last data pair, stop data collection by pressing the red stop button
(lower left corner of the screen).
10. Data for columns 3 and 5 in Table 1.1 will be provided. Record these values in your Data Sheets.
10. Use the provided grid in the Data Sheets to plot solubility (grams KCl/ 100 g water) on the Y-Axis
and the corresponding temperature on the X-Axis. Add a title to your plot and correctly label
the axes.

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Name: Section:

REPORT SHEETS – EXPERIMENT 1

An Introduction to Data Collection: The Solubility of a Salt
Data and Results [2.5]

Table 1.1
KCl (g) per 100 g H2O
Test tube KCl (g) per Actual mass of KCl (g) Temp.
(show all calculation
number 5 mL H2O per 5 mL H2O (°C)
below the table)
1 1.7

2 1.9

3 2.1

4 2.3

5 2.5

Calculations: (1.0)

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Graph (1.5)

Eqn. of line: Correlation coefficient =

Name: Section:

Data Analysis [12.5]

1. According to your data, how is solubility of KCl affected by the temperature of the solvent? (1.0)

2. Looking at your graph, indicate whether each of these solutions would be saturated,
unsaturated, or super saturated. (1.5)
a. 44 g of KCl in 100 g of water at 60°C __________________________
b. 80 g of KCl in 100 g of water at 85°C __________________________
c. 15 g of KCl in 50 g of water at 30°C __________________________

3. According to your graph, will 20 g of KCl completely dissolve in 100 g of water at 20°C? Explain.
(1.5)

4. Assuming a linear relationship, use the equation of the line to calculate:

a. The amount of KCl that will dissolve in 100 g of water at 50°C. (1.5)

b. The amount of KCl required to saturate 1.75 kg of water at 101°C. (1.5)

c. The minimum temperature required to completely dissolve 1.05 moles of KCl in 180 g of
water. (2.0)

d. What is the minimum amount of water (in grams) required to completely dissolve 60.0 g of
KCl at 90°C? (1.5)

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e. A KCl saturated solution is cooled from 80°C to 45°C, calculate the quantity of crystals that
will form once crystallization starts. (2.0)

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