Chemistry Honors Lab 5 – Conservation of Mass

Unit 2 – Properties of Matter

Introduction:

A scientific law describes a phenomenon in nature. One of the fundamental laws of chemistry is the law of
conservation of mass (matter), which states that mass is always conserved in a chemical reaction. All of the
atoms found in reactant matter will be found in the product matter – they just rearrange as the reactants
form products.

In this lab, you will experimentally verify (within levels of uncertainty associated with your instruments and
calculations) this law of mass conservation. You will compare the total mass of both reactant compounds, to
the total mass of both product compounds produced. Of course, any spills or sloppy work will result in your
calculations not “adding up,” so be careful!

Procedure:

1. Label a clean 250 mL beaker with your name and beaker 1. Record its mass.

2. Mass out 1.00 gram of compound A (Na2CO3) into this beaker, recording the total mass of
beaker + chemical.

3. Add 20 mL of distilled water to beaker 1, and swirl gently to dissolve the compound. You do not have to
record the volume of this water added.

4. Label another 250 mL beaker with your name and beaker 2. Record its mass.

5. Mass out 1.20 gram of compound B (CaCl2) into this beaker, recording the total mass of beaker +
chemical.

6. Add 30 mL of distilled water to beaker 2, and swirl gently to dissolve the compound. You do not have to
record the volume of this water added.

7. Now, the reaction: using a glass stirring rod as shown, add solution B
a few milliliters at a time to solution A. Stir continuously
with a glass stirring rod to mix the chemicals as they combine in beaker A.

8. Rinse beaker 2 several times with distilled water, and add these rinses to
beaker 1. You are doing this, to completely transfer the contents of
beaker 2 into beaker 1.

9. Heat the contents of beaker 1 to the boiling point on a hot plate.

10. Turn off the heat source and let the solid material (precipitate) settle in
the beaker.
11. Measure and record the mass of a piece of filter paper. Place the filter paper
in a funnel and place the funnel in a support ring as shown.

12. Place empty beaker 2 under the funnel as shown, and decant the liquid from
beaker 1 into the funnel, collecting the filtrate in beaker 2, keeping as much
of the precipitate in beaker 1 as possible.

13. Add 20 mL of distilled water to the precipitate, warm slightly, and swirl gently for
about 30 seconds. Decant the liquid into the funnel, again keeping as much of the
precipitate in beaker 1 as possible.

14. Repeat step 13. What you are doing is “washing” the precipitate to clear it of any other chemicals.
You want to collect the other chemicals from the reaction in the filtrate (beaker 2).

15. When the filtering is complete, your teacher will remove the filter paper and rest it on top of beaker 1
which contains the precipitate.

16. We will now try to evaporate as much water from beaker 2 as possible, by heating on a hot plate. Bring
the solution to a gentle boil, making sure no splashing or violent bubbling occurs.

17. Both beakers will dry overnight in the lab oven.

18. On day 2, record the mass of beaker 1 + contents, and beaker 2 + contents. Make sure that your
observation section indicates what material(s) are in each beaker as accurately as possible.

Your data table for this lab will contain 7 mass entries.

You will not record any volume of water entries – the water in this lab provides the medium in which
chemicals A and B react; the water itself does not react and will be evaporated away in step 16, and
overnight in the oven. Its mass or volume plays no role in your conservation of mass calculations.