Finding the Oxygen in Potassium Chlorate

Zach Fogarty

The substance that is being researched in this lab is potassium chlorate. Under very high

temperatures, the potassium chlorate releases oxygen in the form of a gas. This purpose of this

lab is to identify the amount of oxygen that is in the empirical formula of potassium chlorate.

The result of the experiment should be KClO3, as this is the formula for potassium chlorate.

The potassium chlorate will be heated inside of a crucible with the lid cockeyed at a high

temperature. This will release the oxygen from the compound. When all of the oxygen is

released, the compound will look like a white powder-like substance, and there will be a crust of

white around the inside of the crucible. The crucible containing the potassium chlorate is

weighed before the heating to find the mass of the original potassium chlorate and after the

heating in order to calculate the mass of the oxygen that had left the crucible. From the data

acquired, the empirical formula of the potassium chlorate can be found.

Data Table:

1. Mass of Crucible and Lid 29.91 g

2. Mass of Crucible and Lid + KClO? 30.85 g

3. Mass of KClO? (2-1) 0.94 g

4. Mass of Crucible and Lid + KCl 30.51 g

5. Mass of KCl (4-1) 0.60 g

6. Mass of oxygen (4-3) 0.34 g

 The main calculation that is needed to get a result is the formula to find the empirical

formula.

K 39.10 g

Cl 35.45 g

O 16.00 g

First, the atomic mass unit in grams was found for each element. Since we are grouping

potassium and chlorine together when we calculate the formula, we will add their values.

KCl 74.55

O 16.00

Then, the measured mass of the potassium chloride and oxygen were used to convert the

amounts into moles.

KCl 0.6 g / 74.55 g = 0.01

O 0.34 g / 16.00 g = 0.02

After the mass was converted to moles, the moles were divided by the smallest value of

mole in order to find the ratio of the molecular formula.

KCl 0.6 g / 74.55 g = 0.01 / 0.01 = 1

O 0.34 g / 16.00 g = 0.02 / 0.01 = 2

Then, the molecular formula was written.

KClO2
 Since the molecular formula is already in the simplest state that it can be in, nothing

needs to be done to change it into the empirical formula. So, the empirical formula that was

found is:

KClO2

The results of the experiment do not match the actual answer. The true empirical formula

of potassium chlorate is KClO3, but the result of the experiment pointed it to being KClO2. This

could have been caused by not heating the potassium chlorate long enough to release all of the

oxygen. Oxygen as a gas is a diatomic atom, so once all the pairs of atoms had been released, the

remaining atoms may have needed a longer time to bond and be released.
Appendix

1. Wear lab safety equipment such as goggles and a lab apron.

2. Set up workstation. Attach the ring onto the ring stand about 3 inches from the top of the

Bunsen burner, and place the ceramic triangle on top of the ring.

3. Clean crucible with water. Dry with paper towel, then heat atop Bunsen burner to ensure

dryness.

4. Measure the mass of the crucible and lid with no substances inside of it when cooled.

5. Put a sample between 0.5 and 1 grams of potassium chlorate in the crucible.

6. Measure the mass in grams of the crucible and lid with the potassium chlorate inside of it.

Calculate the mass of the potassium chlorate by finding the difference of the mass of the

crucible with and without the potassium sulfate.

7. Place the crucible with the lid cockeyed onto the ceramic triangle on the ring.

8. Heat the crucible with the Bunsen burner until the potassium sulfate releases all of its

oxygen and a powdery substance with a crust along the crucible is left. This takes about

3-4 minutes. Once it is confirmed that the substance is finished releasing oxygen, gently

tip the lid over so that it fully covers the crucible.

9. Wait until the crucible is cool enough to touch, which takes about 10 minutes. Weigh the

crucible with the leftover substance.

10. Calculate the mass of the oxygen by finding the difference of the original substance and it

after it was heated.

11. Find the percent composition of the KCl and O, and then find the empirical formula.