Burning magnesium in oxygen to obtain empirical formula of

magnesium oxide.
Research question:
What is the empirical formula of magnesium oxide?
Introduction:
In this experiment, we burned magnesium in the cap which is covered by a
cap as well. The aim of the experiment is to determine the empirical
formula of magnesium oxide based on the ratio of magnesium to oxygen.
After the experiment we measure the amount of oxygen by weighting the
mass of caps after reaction.
Independent variable:
Magnesium (we will take two different amounts of magnesium to see how
it is going change the final amount of oxygen, we will use magensium
filings)
Dependent variable:
Oxygen (its amount is dependent on the amount of magnesium)
Materials and equipment:
Magnesium filings
Lighter
Burner
Combustion teaspoon
Two caps with different masses
Tripod
Procedure:
We check if caps are clean and than weight each of them separately and
note their masses in the tables below. After measuring we put magnesium
in one of them and cover it by the second one. Next step is to weight it all
together (magnesium with caps), to check if everything is all right. Then
we put it on tripod and heat it. We observe how reaction goes on and after
about 5 minutes (depends on the amount on magnesium and in what form
it is), we turn off the blowpipe and wait until it cools down. After this we
weight it one more time to see how much oxygen reacted with initial
amount of magnesium. We record the data and make calculations. We do
this twice to see if the results are quite accurate to our predictions.
Trial 1
First
cap

Second
cap

First cap
with
magnesiu
m

Magnesiu
m

Two caps
with
magnesiu
m before

Two caps
with
magnesiu
m after

Mass of
oxygen

1.82 g

1.60 g

1.92 g

0.10 g

3.52 g

First
cap

Second
cap

1.81 g

1.73 g

First cap
Magnesiu
with
m
magnesiu
m
1.85 g
0.04 g

Two caps
with
magnesiu
m before
3.58 g

2 Mg+ O2

2 MgO

3.58 g

0.06 g

Trial 2
Two caps Mass of
with
oxygen
magensiu
m after
3.62 g
0.04 g

Reaction:

Interprating the data, we calculate the amount of magnesium and oxygen

in moles.
Magnesium trial 1 :
0.10 g
=0.0042735 mol
1
23.4 g mol
Oxygen trial 1:
0.06 g
=0.00375 mol
16 g mol1
Magnesium trial 2:
0.04 g
=0.0017094 mol
23.4 g mol1
Oxygen trial 2:
0.04 g
=0.0025 mol
16 g mol1
Then to calculate the ratio we divide each of this amounts by the lower
value in each trial.
Trial 1:
In this trial the lower value has oxygen, so we divide magnesium by
oxygen and magnesium by magnesium to obtain the ratio.
0.0042735mol
=1.1396 1.14
0.00375mol
0.00375mol
=1
0.00375mol

Trial 2:
In this trial the lower value has magnesium, so we divide oxygen by
magnesium and oxygen by oxygen to obtan the ratio.
0.0025 mol
=1.46250146 1.46
0.0017094 mol
0.0017094 mol
=1
0.0017094 mol
We can observe that in the first trial the ratio magnesium to oxygen was
1.14 : 1, and in the second trial the ratio magnesium to oxygen was 1 :
1.46 . From these calculations we can see that second trial was less
accurate as the amount of magnesium was lower and the scale weighted
to two decimal places. When we round to the results the outcome ratio is
one to one, so empirical formula is MgO.
Evaluation:
The main reason for two different results may the weight, beacuse it has
only two decimal places, so the measurement cannot be precised at all.
The next thing, which may have influence on the final reults, is the purity
of magnesium. Some of it have already reacted with the oxygen in the air,
so the outcomes are not totally right. Third thing is the smoke. It appears
when we burn magnesium and it is the ash of magnesium oxide and this
means that some of it may get away from the caps. Therefore, our results
are not as much accurate as they should be under ideal conditions. The
cups can also be the cause of different and not precised results. They may
have not been properly cleaned before making the experiment. So the
weight of tchem could not be exactly what it really is.