Chemical analysis Flashcards
What is a ‘pure’ substance, in chemistry?
- a pure substance is a single element or compound, not mixed with another substance
What 2 pieces of data can we use to determine if a substance is pure, why?
- pure elements and compounds MELT and BOIL at specific temperatures => MELTING POINT and BOILING POINT data can be used to distinguish pure substances from mixtures
From a heating graph, how can we know if a substance is pure?
- if the melting point and boiling point lines are straigh and horizontal
- and if these temperatures match the real temperatures from the internet
From a heating graph, how can we know that a substance isimpure?
- if the melting point and boiling point are not straight and completely horizontal
(the substance melts and boils over a range of temperatures) - more than one value for the melting/boiling point)
In everyday language, what is a ‘pure’ susbtance?
- a pure substance in this context can mean anything that has had nothing added to it, so it is unadulterated and in its natural state, eg. pure milk
What is a formulation?
- a complex mixture that has been designed as a useful product
How are formulations made?
- formulations are made by mixing the components in carefully measured quantities to ensure that the product has the required properties
Give 7 examples of formulations.
- fuels
- cleaning agents
- paints
- medicines
- alloys
- fertilisers
- foods
Why is chromatography used?
- chromatography can be used to separate mixtures and give information to help identify substances
- paper chromatography allows us to separate substances based on their different SOLUBILITIES
What is the method for any general paper chromatography experiment?
1) Take a piece of special chromatography paper.
2) Draw a horizontal pencil line 2cm up.
3) Put a dot of the first colour on the pencil line and other dots along the line for any other colours (space them out).
4) Place the bottom of the paper in a solvent (a liquid that will dissolve substances) (not above the pencil line).
What is the stationary phase in chromatography?
What is the mobile phase in chromatography?
- the stationary phase is the paper because it does not move
- the mobile phase is the solvent because it does move
How can we identify a pure substance from an impure substance after carrying out paper chromatography?
- a pure chemical will produce a single spot in ALL solvents
- an impure substance may separate into different spots DEPENDING on the solvent
How does paper chromatography work?
- each chemical in the mixture will be attracted to the stationary phase to a different extent (chemicals that are weakly attracted will move further up the paper)
Why is the starting line always drawn in pencil, in paper chromatography?
- pencil will not dissolve in the solvent => will not affect the results (ink will be carried up the paper with the solvent)
What is the method for investigating how paper chromatography can be used to separate and tell the difference between coloured substances?
- we have a sample of food colouring which is a mixture of chemicals (U - unknown).
- we also have four known colourings that U could contain (A-D).
1) Use a ruler to draw a horizontal pencil line 2cm up on the chromatography paper.
2) Mark 5 pencil spotsat equal spaces across the pencil line.
3) Use a capillary tube to put a small spot of each of the knwon food colours and the unknown colour onto the pencil spots.
4) Pour water into a beaker to a depth of 1cm (solvent).
5) Attach the paper to a glass rod using tape and then lower the paper into the beaker so that the bottom of the paper just touches the water (make sure the pencil line is above the surface of the water). *also make sure that the sides of the paper do not touch the side walls of the beaker or it will interfere with the way that the water moves
6) Put a lid on the beaker to reduce evaporation of the solvent.
7) The water should be moving up the paper and the colours should be being carried up too.
8) Remove the paper from the beaker once the water has moved ~3/4 up the paper.
9) Draw a horizontal pencil line to mark where the water reached.
From the paper chromatography required practical, how can we know what colours were in the unknown colour?
- some of the spots in A, B, C, or D should line up with the spots in the unknown colour (this tells us that the unknown colour is a mixture of all the colours that line up)
What can we do with Rf values?
- we can use the Rf values to identify the chemicals in the colours used
What is the equation for an Rf value?
Rf = distance moved by substance / distance moved by solvent (water)
=> search this Rf value up in a database to identify the chemical
How can we increase the validity of the Rf value of a chemical?
- several different chemicals could have the same Rf value of one substance
=> repeat the experiment using a different solvent (instead of water)
How can we test for hydrogen?
- hold a burning splint at the open end of a test tube of hydrogen
=> hydrogen burns rapidly with a ‘squeaky’ pop sound