Vickey Ho

Period 4
Le Chatelier Lab

Purpose: To investigate Le Chatelier’s Principle by testing several systems at equilibrium and to

select specific ones to produce the colors of the rainbow.

Results:
Tray 1: Yellow (H2O + C27H28Br2O5S ←→ C27H28Br2O5S + H+)
Yellow was created by mixing HCl with Bromothymol blue indicator. With H2O and
C27H28Br2O5S, the color created was blue. However, the addition of the HCl caused the solution
to turn yellow since the acid shifted the system to the left. Without the addition of an acid, the
overall reaction would have stayed blue.

Tray 2: Red (Fe(NO3)3 + 3 KSCN ←→ Fe(SCN)3 + 3 KNO3 )

Red was made by mixing KSCN and Fe(NO3). By adding KNO3, it favored the left side and
caused the dark blood red concentration of Fe(NO3)3 to decrease. Thus, it allowed our reaction to
be a lighter red. In order to make the red a little lighter, water was also added to lower the
concentration of Fe(NO3), therefore, favoring the left side. When more KSCN was added, it
caused the reaction to favor the right side and created a darker blood red color.

Tray 3: Royal Blue (CuSO4 + 4NH3 + HCl- ←→ [Cu(NH3)4]SO4)

Royal blue was created when mixing CuSO4, NH3, and HCl. When adding CuSO4 with HCl, it
created a very milky light blue. When adding NH3, it caused the reaction to favor the right side,
thus, causing it to turn a dark royal blue. If more HCl was added after, it reacted with the NH3,
therefore lowering the concentration of NH3, and causing the reaction to be a lighter blue.

Tray 4: Green (Cu(H2O)4+2 + 4Cl- ←→ CuCl22- + 4H2O)

Green was made by mixing CuCl2*2H2O and HCl. By itself, CuCl2*2H2O solid was a blue color.
The addition of H2O, kept the solution blue since it favored the right side. However, by adding
HCl, it caused the reaction to favor the left side and create a green solution.
Tray 5: Purple ([Co(H2O)6]2+ + 4Cl ←→ [CoCl4]-2 + H2O)
Purple was made by mixing, water, ethanol, and cobalt chloride. The addition of H2O, which is
on the product side, would create a shift to the left, creating the color pink. It also creates a pink
color because the concentration of Cl would decrease, in which the system would favor the left.
When we added NaCl, it caused the concentration of Cl to increase and made our reaction blue.
By adding acetone, the right side was favored and turned the solution a purple color.

Tray 6: Orange (CO2 + H2O ←→ H2CO3)

Orange was made by mixing the club soda with the methyl red indicator solution. The carbon
dioxide from the carbonated water caused a stress placed upon the product side of the equation,
causing a favor to the reactant side to reach an equilibrium.