Unit 2.

Particles and Atomic Structure

Syllabus Ref. 1

Rate of evaporation

Class practical
Evaporation is the conversion of liquid to vapour without the boiling point necessarily being reached. In this experiment, the time
taken for a drop of propanone to evaporate is measured under a number of different conditions and compared.

Lesson organisation
Propanone is highly flammable; ensure that there are no sources of ignition nearby. Pupils could be asked to devise their own
experiment, in which case teachers must check the plans before practical work starts, or they could be told how to vary the
conditions and exactly what to do. A sample results table is available here.

Apparatus

Chemicals

Eye protection
Per pair or
group of
students:
Microscope
slides, 2 or 3
Access to warm
water (Note 1)
Dropper pipette
Timer

Propanone (HIGHLY FLAMMABLE, IRRITANT),

few cm3
Refer to Health & Safety and Technical notes
section below for additional information.

Health & Safety and Technical notes

Read our standard health & safety guidance
Wear eye protection.
Propanone, CH3COCH3(l), (HIGHLY FLAMMABLE, IRRITANT) - see CLEAPSS Hazcard.
1 Use warm water from a tap or a kettle. Do not use a naked flame to heat the water.

Procedure
a Put a drop of propanone onto a microscope slide and time how long it takes to evaporate.
b Change the conditions and repeat the experiment, ensuring that you record the conditions used and the time taken for each
one. For example: warm the microscope slide by holding it in your hands, or by placing in warm water and then drying; spread
the drop out with the tip of the dropper pipette; for a cool air flow, fan with a book or similar; for a warm air flow, blow across the
drop.

Teaching notes
Students should be able to observe that warmth, air flow and spreading out the drop all increase the rate at which it evaporates.

Liquids evaporate below their boiling point. This is because as the particles move around and collide, some have more energy
than the others allowing them to escape from the rest of the liquid as vapour. This results in the overall energy of the liquid (and
therefore its temperature) decreasing.
This experiment lends itself well to being a planning exercise or alternatively there are some sample results tables available.
Health & Safety checked, September 2014

Credits
This Practical Chemistry resource was developed by the Nuffield Foundation and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Nuffield Foundation and the Royal Society of Chemistry

Page last updated October 2015