Magnesium Ribbon Lab

Purpose
To investigate the mass changes involved in burning magnesium metal.

Materials

Stirring rod
Retort stand
Ring clamp
Clay triangle
Crucible and lid

Bunsen burner
Flint lighter
Balance
Crucible tongs
40 cm of magnesium ribbon

Method

1. Find the mass of a clean crucible and lid. USE THE SAME BALANCE DURING THE ENTIRE EXPERIMENT.
2. Curl the magnesium ribbon around a pencil to make a size that just fits inside the crucible. Do not curl the ribbon too tightly.
3. Describe the magnesium ribbon.
4. Find the mass of the crucible, lid and magnesium ribbon.
5. Set the crucible containing the magnesium ribbon on the clay triangle supported by a ring clamp as previously demonstrated.
Place the lid on the crucible