Lab 12 Determination of the Empirical Formula of Silver Oxide

Honors Chemistry

Background
The composition of a chemical compoundwhat it is made ofcan be described in at least three different
ways. The percent composition fixes the percent by mass of each element in the compound and is the
simplest way experimentally to describe the composition of a substance. Calcium carbonate, for example,
contains calcium, carbon and oxygen. It is present in eggshells and seashells, chalk, and limestone. The
mass percentage is 40 % calcium, 12% carbon, and 48% oxygen.

However, in terms of understanding how elements come together to make a new compound, it is more
interesting and more informative to know how many atoms of each kind of element combine with one
another. The empirical formula describes the composition of a compound in terms of the simplest whole-
number ratio of atoms in a compound and does not necessarily represent the actual number of atoms in a
molecule for formula unit.

The molecular formula of a compound tells us the actual number of atoms in a single molecule of a
compound.

Experimental Overview
In this experiment, the percent composition and empirical formula of silver oxide will be determined.
Silver oxide decomposes to silver metal and oxygen when strongly heated. Heating silver oxide causes the
oxygen to be driven off, leaving only the silver metal behind. According to the law of conservation of mass,
the total mass of the products of a chemical reaction must equal the mass of the reactants. In the case of
the decomposition of silver oxide, the following equation must be true:

Mass of silver oxide = Mass of silver metal + Mass of oxygen

If both the initial mass of silver oxide and the final mass of the silver metal are measured, the decrease in
mass must correspond to the mass of oxygen that combined with the silver. The percent composition and
empirical formula of silver oxide can then be calculated, based on combining the ratios of silver and oxygen
in the reaction.
Honors Chemistry Name__________________________________ Period___
Empirical Formula Notes:
An empirical formula represents the simplest ratio (lowest whole number ration) in which the atoms combine
to form a compound.

Steps to Calculating an Empirical Formula

1. If grams of each element in a compound are given, move on to step 3.
2. If the percentage composition of the compound is given, use the percentages to find the mass of each
element that would be present in a 100 g sample of the compound. (In some cases you may be given
the mass of each element.)
3. Determine the number of moles of each element present in the compound by dividing the mass of
each element by its atomic mass.
4. To determine the simplest whole number ratio, divide the number of moles of each element by the
smallest number of moles that is present. If this does not give a whole-number ratio (within 0.1 of a
whole number), multiply by a number like 2 or 3 to make the numbers whole numbers.
Examples:
1. The empirical formula of H2O2 is:

2. The empirical formula of a compound that has a ratio of 1 carbon to 2 hydrogen is:

3. If the empirical formula of a compound is CH2, the molecular formula could be any simple multiple of
CH2 such as:

Sample Problem A: calculate the empirical formula of a compound that contains 2.000g of calcium and 8.000 g
of bromine.

Sample Problem B: What is the empirical formula of a compound whose composition by mass is 40.00% sulfur
and 60.00% oxygen? In a problem like this even if we were given 40% and 60% you must carry through 4 sig
figs or your percent error could be off as much as 30% due to dropping sig figs. (We are not referring to O 2 gas.
Use O = 16.00 g/mol. Do not worry about oxygen being diatomic.)
Lets practice problems similar to prelab

You must always start with a balanced equation:

1st Balance this Unbalanced equation: Fe(s) + O2(g ) Fe2O3(s)

1. Use 0.1675 g iron to covert the mass of iron used to moles. Use factor label.

2. Use the moles of iron found in question 1, and the balanced equation, to determine the number of moles
of O. (1 mol O2 = 2 mol O)

3. Determining the empirical formula:

Use the ratio between the number of moles of iron and the number of moles of oxygen to calculate the
empirical formula for iron oxide. To do this, divide both mole values by the smallest number of moles. This
will force your mol ratio to be the smallest whole number ratio. (If your ratio is 1:1.5, multiply both moles
by 2) (If your mole ratio is 1: 1.33 multiple both moles my 3. Otherwise your answers should be very close
to a whole number.)

4. A compound was analyzed and found to contain 13.5 g Ca, 10.8 g O, and 0.675 g H. What is the empirical
formula of the compound?

Remember that lab data is not perfect, so many times rounding must occur if ratios other than these
are calculated.
PreLab Questions

Unbalanced equation: Fe(s) + O2(g ) Fe2O3(s)

Before you begin Balance the above equation

1. Use 0.0550 g iron to covert the mass of iron used to moles. Use factor label.

3. Use the moles of iron, and the balanced equation, to determine the number of moles of O. (1 mol O 2 = 2 mol O)

5. Determining the empirical formula:

Use the ratio between the number of moles of iron and the number of moles of oxygen to calculate the empirical
formula for iron oxide. To do this, divide both mole values by the smallest number of moles. This will force your mol
ratio to be the smallest whole number ratio. (If your ratio is 1:1.5, multiply both mole by 2) (If your mole ratio is 1:
1.33 multiple both moles my 3).

6. Assume you have 40.00 g C and 6.72 grams of H and 53.28 g of O. What is the empirical formula?

Remember that lab data is not perfect, so many times rounding must occur if ratios other than these are
calculated.

Materials
Silver oxide samples, ~0.5 g
Crucible and crucible lid, 15 or 30 mL
Crucible tongs
Bunsen burner
Ring stand and ring clamp
Balance (0.001 gram precision)
Clay pipestem triangle
Ceramic plate
Wash bottle and water
Watch glass (optional)
Safety Precautions
Silver oxide is slightly toxic. Handle the crucible and lid only with tongs. Remember that a hot crucible
looks exactly like a cold one. Wear chemical goggles and gloves. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and
water before leaving the laboratory.

Procedure
1. Set up a Terrill burner nest to the white hoods, on a ring
stand beneath a ring clamp holding a clay triangle. Do
not light the Terrill burner.

2. Adjust the height of the ring clamp so that the bottom of

the crucible sitting in the clay triangle is about 1 cm
above the burner. This will ensure that the crucible will
be in the hottest part of the flame when the Terrill
burner is lit.

3. Measure the mass of a clean, empty crucible to the

nearest 0.001 gram. Record the mass in the data table.

4. Add approximately 0.5 grams (see visual example, do not mass) of silver oxide sample to the crucible.
Measure the combined mass of the crucible and silver oxide to the nearest 0.001 gram. Record the
mass in the data table.

5. Place the crucible on the clay triangle. Light the Terrill burner and slowly heat the crucible by brushing
the bottom of the crucible with the flame for 2-3 minutes.

6. Place the burner on the ring stand and gently heat the crucible for an additional 10 minutes.
Heating the crucible gently by brushing as in steps 5 and 6 will avoid splattering the sample.

7. After 10 minutes of gently heating the sample, place the burner directly under the crucible. Heat the
crucible with the most intense part of the flame for 10 minutes. Caution: do not inhale the smoke. Do
not lean over the crucible.

8. After 10 minutes of intense heating turn off the gas source.

9. Allow the crucible to cool for at least 10 minutes.

10. Measure the combined mass of the crucible and the silver metal product. Record the mass in the data
table.

11. If time permits dump the entire contents of the crucible onto a watch glass and note the appearance of
the product. Is any un-reacted silver oxide still present? Record all observations in the data table.

12. Dispose of cooled sample in the trash can

 13. If time allows, repeat steps 1-12 for trial # 2

Data and Calculations Tables

Data Table
Trial #1 Trial #2
Mass Crucible (g)
Mass Crucible +
Silver oxide (g)
Mass of Silver oxide
(g)
Mass of crucible and
silver (g) after
heating
Mass of silver (g)
Moles of silver
Mass of oxygen (g)
Moles of oxygen
Appearance of
Product

Post Lab Calculations complete questions 1-9 for each trail

1. Show your calculations to determine the mass of silver oxide that was used, the mass of silver after heating and the
mass of oxygen produced. Enter you answers into the Data Table.

2. Calculate the percent composition of silver in the silver oxide. Show your work.

3. Calculate the percent composition of oxygen in the silver oxide, Show your work.

4. Use factor label to convert grams of silver to moles of silver.

5. Use factor label to convert grams of oxygen to moles of oxygen.

6. Calculate the empirical formula for silver oxide based on your lab data. Show your work.

7. Calculate the percent composition of silver in one mole of silver oxide using your empirical formula. This is the
theoretical percent composition.
8. Calculate the percent composition of silver in your silver oxide compound. (Mass silver / Mass silver oxide times
100%). This is your experimental percent composition.

9. Calculate your percent error: [ ITheor Exper.I / Theor ] ] x 100% Show your work.

10. Discuss two possible sources of error. Example: What did you do specifically that could have altered the result?
Calculating errors, human error and incorrect mass measurement are NOT considered sources of errors.

Discuss error sources such as:

o Fingerprints on crucible at initial weighing.
o Small amount of silver oxide remaining.
 o Crucible no at constant weight before starting the experiment.

Determination of the Empirical Formula of Silver Oxide

_____ 1 pt Rubric included with lab

_____ 5 pts Neat, answers include question

_____ 8 pts Lab physically completed within one week of assigned time.

_____ 2pts Lab Set Up: Lab is written on the right side of the composition book only. Lab is included in the table of
contents

_____ 2pts Pre-Lab 1: Clearly labeled conversion for iron from grams to moles. Answer provided with the correct
number of significant figures, units and species.

_____ 2pts: Pre-Lab 2: Clearly labeled conversion for moles of iron to moles oxygen. Answer provided with the correct
number of significant figures, units and species.

_____ 2pts Pre-Lab3: Clearly labeled calculations to show the determination of the empirical formula of iron oxide.

_____ 3pts Pre-Lab4: Assume you have 40.00 g C and 6.72 grams of H and 53.28 g of O. What is the empirical
formula?

_____ 5pts Data Table 1: completely filled out with calculations to determine the mass of sliver oxide that was used,
the mass of silver after heating and the mass of oxygen produced.

_____ 2pts Post-Lab 2: Clearly labeled calculations showing the percentage of silver in the compound. Answer is
recorded in Data Table .

_____ 2pts Post-Lab 3: Clearly labeled calculations showing the percentage of oxygen in the compound. Answer is
recorded in Data Table .

_____ 2pts Post-Lab 4: Clearly labeled conversion of grams of silver to moles. Answer provided with the correct
number of significant figures, units and species. Answer is recorded in Data Table 2.

_____ 2pts Post-Lab 5: Clearly labeled calculation to show the conversion of grams of oxygen to moles of oxygen.
Answers are recorded in Data Table.

_____ 3pts Post-Lab6: Calculate the empirical formula for silver oxide based on your lab data. Show your work.

_____ 3pts Post-Lab7. Calculate the percent composition of silver in one mole of silver oxide using your empirical
formula. This is the theoretical percent composition.

_____ 3pts Post-Lab8: Calculate the percent composition of silver in your silver oxide compound. (Mass silver / Mass
silver oxide times 100%). This is your experimental percent composition

_____ 2pts Post-Lab9: Calculate your percent error: [ ITheor Exper.I / TheorI ] x 100% Show your work.
_____ 2pts Post-Lab10 Discuss two possible sources of error. Example: What did you do specifically that could have
altered the result? Calculating errors, human error and incorrect mass measurement are NOT considered
sources of errors.