Burning Alcohols Lab Report
Contents:
Introduction
Background
Importance of Experiment
Aim and Hypothesis
Results
Discussion
Discoveries and Explinations
Limitations
Applications
Conclusion
Biography
Introduction (482 words)
This experiment measures the rate of change and efficiency of different burning alcohols.
An alcohol, any of a class of organic compounds characterized by one or more hydroxyl (−OH) groups attached to a carbon atom of an alkyl group (hydrocarbon chain). Alcohols are among the most common organic compounds. They are used as sweeteners and in making perfumes, are valuable intermediates in the synthesis of other compounds, and are among the most abundantly produced organic chemicals in industry. Perhaps the two best-known alcohols are …show more content…
As seen in the graph, some of the data was inaccurate. If the data was accurate, the lines of the alcohols on the graph would all be pretty straight, with the curve up the top. Unfortunately, some of the data was not accurate, causing the bumps in the lines and causing the spike at the start of Pentanol. These represent times where the temperature suddenly went up either too fast or not fast enough. In other words, it is when the temperature was not following the regular rate of change. This could have been caused by a sudden breeze coming from the door next to us, or by someone moving a part of the insulation. This could be avoided by being in a more controlled area, where there are no possible wind and by keeping the setup still until the end of the experiment. This is also could have been caused by inconsistent stirring. Earlier in the experimenting, a test was done when the original stirrer was swapped halfway, and the second stirrer caused defect results due to inefficient stirring of the water. This result was not included in the final results, but showed the importance of keeping the stirring steady. If the stirring was possibly interrupted or inconsistent, it could cause a spike in the results. A possible way to fix this in a future experiment is by having an automatic stirrer or by using the copper calorimeter. These all could also be improved by experimenting more. By having longer tests and more tests, the data would be more even. Testing for longer would give more chance to get better results with a lower percentage rate. Also being able to test more alcohols, such as Hexane (6 carbon), Heptane (7 Carbon), Octane (8 carbons) and onwards. This will be create a larger scale of data and will confirm the hypothesis more. Another recommendation is testing the differently shaped alcohols. Because not all of the carbon chains are formed the same way, some end up in different structures, not just in a skeletal
Introduction
Background
Importance of Experiment
Aim and Hypothesis
Results
Discussion
Discoveries and Explinations
Limitations
Applications
Conclusion
Biography
Introduction (482 words)
This experiment measures the rate of change and efficiency of different burning alcohols.
An alcohol, any of a class of organic compounds characterized by one or more hydroxyl (−OH) groups attached to a carbon atom of an alkyl group (hydrocarbon chain). Alcohols are among the most common organic compounds. They are used as sweeteners and in making perfumes, are valuable intermediates in the synthesis of other compounds, and are among the most abundantly produced organic chemicals in industry. Perhaps the two best-known alcohols are …show more content…
As seen in the graph, some of the data was inaccurate. If the data was accurate, the lines of the alcohols on the graph would all be pretty straight, with the curve up the top. Unfortunately, some of the data was not accurate, causing the bumps in the lines and causing the spike at the start of Pentanol. These represent times where the temperature suddenly went up either too fast or not fast enough. In other words, it is when the temperature was not following the regular rate of change. This could have been caused by a sudden breeze coming from the door next to us, or by someone moving a part of the insulation. This could be avoided by being in a more controlled area, where there are no possible wind and by keeping the setup still until the end of the experiment. This is also could have been caused by inconsistent stirring. Earlier in the experimenting, a test was done when the original stirrer was swapped halfway, and the second stirrer caused defect results due to inefficient stirring of the water. This result was not included in the final results, but showed the importance of keeping the stirring steady. If the stirring was possibly interrupted or inconsistent, it could cause a spike in the results. A possible way to fix this in a future experiment is by having an automatic stirrer or by using the copper calorimeter. These all could also be improved by experimenting more. By having longer tests and more tests, the data would be more even. Testing for longer would give more chance to get better results with a lower percentage rate. Also being able to test more alcohols, such as Hexane (6 carbon), Heptane (7 Carbon), Octane (8 carbons) and onwards. This will be create a larger scale of data and will confirm the hypothesis more. Another recommendation is testing the differently shaped alcohols. Because not all of the carbon chains are formed the same way, some end up in different structures, not just in a skeletal