hydrated salts

Question 1

The degree of hydration can be calculated from experimental results:

Answer 1

the mass of the hydrated salt must be measured before heating

The salt is then heated until it reaches a constant mass

The two mass values can be used to calculate the number of moles of water in the hydrated salt - known as the water of crystallisation

Question 2

A water of crystallisation calculation can be completed in a similar fashion to an empirical formula calculation

Answer 2

Instead of elements, you start with the salt and water

Instead of dividing by atomic masses, you divide by molecular / formula masses

The rest of the calculation works the same way as the empirical formula calculation