Modeling the Behavior of Chemical Compounds in Water

Modeling the Behavior of Chemical Compounds in Water

Introduction

A major component in chemistry is the nature of molecular forces. When the concept is broken down fundamentally, two aspects stand out: intermolecular forces and intramolecular forces. Intermolecular forces describe the interactions between atoms and intermolecular forces describe the interaction between molecules. These forces determine the behavior of solutes and how they react when placed in water. In this lab, we investigated the behavior of several chemical compounds. We wanted to determine what exactly occurs macroscopically and microscopically when different solutes are dissolved in water. Our investigation made use of the tendency of certain molecules to behave in a particular manner because of the nature of the atoms that they comprise of. Because we cannot physically see what exactly the individual atoms are undergoing, we devised a model to help provide a useful explanation of the behavior of chemical compounds. We took various chemical compounds and placed them in water and recorded changes in certain variables: solubility, electrical conductivity, change in temperature, and change in physical appearance. This model was used in the hopes of explaining why different chemicals react or don't react in certain situations. Our goal was to describe and predict the behavior of chemical compounds in water. The problem that we worked to solve was to accurately describe the behavior of chemical compounds under the use of limited time and equipment.

Research Questions:

What happens microscopically and macroscopically when different solutes are mixed in water? How does the type of solute correlate with the solubility and electronegativity of a solution? Are your findings different with a different amount of solute?

Methods

Before we conducted our experiment and devised our model, we spent the first week in lab discussing macroscopic and microscopic changes when salt and sugar were dissolved in water. We did our best to explain what happened with prior knowledge through diagrams and explanations. Anything we were not sure of we made sure to research to be sure we reached a proper conclusion. We used these explanations to predict any possible observations when calcium chloride, copper (II) chloride dihydrate, glucose, isopropanol, sodium chloride, and sucrose are added to water.

To test our predictions, we acquired 8 different beakers and added 20 mL of deionized water to each beaker measured from a graduated cylinder. 2 grams of each solute used in the experiment was massed with a scale and added to its corresponding beaker. One of the beakers were used as a control with no solute and only 20 mL of deionized water. The solution was mixed into the water using a stir rod until completely dissolved. Any macroscopic