CHEMISTRY Chemical Bonding Mr.

Newberg

Chemical Bonding Lab

Chemical compounds are combinations of atoms held together by chemical bonds. These
chemical bonds are of two basic types—ionic and covalent. Ionic bonds result when one or
more electrons from one atom or group of atoms are transferred to another atom. Positive and
negative ions are created through the transfer. In covalent compounds no electrons are
transferred; instead electrons are shared by the bonded atoms.

The physical properties of a substance, such as melting point, solubility, can be used to predict
the type of bond that binds the atoms of the compound. In this experiment, you will test three
compounds to determine these properties. Your compiled data will enable you to classify the
substances as either ionic nonpolar covalent, or polar covalent compounds. covalent bonds
tend to have a lower melting point and will melt at lower temperatures than ionic compounds.
This is because the electrons are less attracted to each other in covalent bonds than ionic
bonds. Nonpolar covalent bonds will not dissolve in water. Polar covalent bonds will dissolve in
water.however. Use this information to figure out which type of bond each one of these
elements has.

Purpose:
Compare the melting points and solubility of the solids we were given to figure out what type of
bond they have.

MATERIALS:
● 12-well microplate ● aluminum foil
● bunsen burner ● wire sheet
● 100 mL beaker ● CaCl2 (calcium chloride)
● disposable pipet ● KCl (Potassium Chloride)
● safety goggles ● C6H12O6( Sugar)
● Wax

Safety:
1.) Always wear safety goggles, gloves, and a lab apron to protect your eyes and clothing.
2.) Do not touch any chemicals.
3.) Do not heat glassware that is broken, chipped, or cracked.
4.) When using a flame, confine long hair and loose clothing.

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CHEMISTRY Chemical Bonding Mr. Newberg

Procedure:
1. Put on safety goggles.
2. Put a few crystals of each of the solids in your microplate, as in the diagram below.

A D A D

B E B E

C F C F

3. Pour about 20 ml of distilled water in a beaker. Using the disposable pipet, add 10-20 drops
of water to each well that a substance is in. stir them constantly for at least 1 minute.
Record the solubility of each substance in Table 1 by writing “S” for soluble, or “NS” for not
soluble.
4. Clean the microplate by rinsing it with distilled water. Wash your hands thoroughly before
you leave the lab and after all work is finished
5. Create an aluminum square by taking a wire sheet and wrapping it with aluminum foil.
6. On the aluminum square, use a marker to label the 4 locations of substances (A, B, C, D),
evenly-spaced.
7. Place a few crystals of the four substances in spot A, B, C, or D. Use only one small scoop of
a spatula, and try to make the amount of each substance about the same. Do not allow the
samples of crystals to touch.
8. Write a brief description of each of the four substances in Table 1.
9. Place your ring stand close to the gas. Clamp on your ring to the ring stand at a height that is
far from the height of the burner.
10. Place the aluminum square on top of the ring stand. Try to get the foil as flat as possible.
11. Attach the bunsen burner to the gas. Turn on the gas and light the burner with a match. set
at a medium height(do not have the flame touching the foil.)
12. For this experiment, it is not necessary to have exact values for the melting point. The foil
will continue to get hotter as it is heated, so the order of melting will give relative melting
points. Note the substance that melts first by writing a 1 in Table 1. Record the order of
melting for the other substances.
13. After 3 more minutes, record an n in Table 1 for each substance that did not melt. Turn off
the gas. Allow the aluminum square to cool while you complete the remainder of the
experiment.

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CHEMISTRY Chemical Bonding Mr. Newberg

TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPOUNDS

Compound Description Melting Solubility Ionic,

point in H2O Polar
covalent,
or
nonpolar
covalent
bond
A
B
C
D

Observations:
Write three observations on the lab.

Conclusions:
1. Restate Purpose
2. Discuss what you found in your results
3. Determine which one of the compounds is an ionic bond and which is a covalent bond
based on the data collected.
4. Make sure to include how your observations should show that certain materials were
ionic, polar, or nonpolar bonds.
5. Make sure to include the words soluble, melting, ionic bond, polar covalent bond, and
nonpolar covalent bond.

Calculations: None

Error Analysis: List possible errors that could have occurred in your observations. No Human
errors.