Composition of Hydrates

Abstract The purpose of this lab was to study the composition of hydrates. Hydrates are ionic compounds that are chemical compositions made of water and salt. A main objective was to remove water from the hydrate by heating, and determine the amount of water that was in the hydrate. After doing this, one had to predict the empirical formula for hydrated copper sulfate. In doing this lab, one was able to see the gradual change in the composition of a hydrate into an anhydrous salt. The lab was carried out with numerous steps. First, one had to safely prepare by putting on goggles. One then had to wash and heat the dish with the flame for about three minutes. After allowing the dish to cool, one had to weigh the evaporating dish and record the weight. Two to three grams of copper sulfate hydrate was then added to the dish and weighed. One then heated the dish until the copper sulfate hydrate’s blue color became an off-white color. After the dish cooled, one took the mass of the dish and recorded it. One then cleaned up the lab table and had their data sheet signed. There were three specific results to the lab. After completing the lab one found the percent of water in the hydrate. The percent water came out to be 36.7%. One then proceeded to calculate the empirical formula. The empirical formula was CuSO4 * 5H2O. Lastly, one found the percent error of the lab. The percent error was