Types of Chemical Reactions
Goggles and aprons must be worn in the laboratory at all times.
Objectives:
To carry out, classify, and balance nine different chemical reactions.
Materials:
250 mL beaker
plastic tub
10 mL graduated cylinder
25 mL graduated cylinder
Erlenmeyer flask
rubber stopper (flask)
watch glass
glass plate
deflagration spoon
stir rod
test tube rack
2 small test tubes
laboratory burner
2 large test tubes
rubber stopper (large t.t.)
one-hole rubber stopper
(large t.t.)
right angle glass tube
rubber tubing
utility clamp
4 each red and blue litmus
paper
filter paper
wooden splint
ring stand
ring
funnel
distilled water
dishsoap
carbonic acid (soda water)
hydrogen peroxide (30%)
lead(II) nitrate solution
potassium iodide
potassium metal
sulfur
sodium iodide solution
sodium metal
zinc metal
Procedures:
Reactions 1 & 2
1. Fill a 250 mL beaker with about 50 mL distilled water. Test the water with red and blue
litmus paper (dab the paper using a stir rod, don’t dip the paper). Note any color changes on
the observations page.
2. Prepare an Erlenmeyer flask and glass plate. Turn on a laboratory burner but keep the flame
as small and yellow-orange.
3. Get a medium sample of sulfur in the deflagration spoon. Hold the spoon bowl into the
laboratory burner flame until it melts and is smoking.
4. Quickly, but CAREFULLY (AVOID SPILLING) place the burning sulfur into the
Erlenmeyer flask and use the glass plate as a lid to try to trap as much of the smoke (sulfur
dioxide) as possible.
5. Allow the sulfur to burn out by itself and allow the smoke to settle a little. Remove the
spoon while minimizing the amount of smoke lost. Scrap any remaining sulfur out of the
spoon into the metal container.
6. Pour the distilled water into the flask and stopper it with a rubber stopper. Shake the flask
until all the smoke and particles are dissolved.
7. Test the water with red and blue litmus paper. Note any color changes on the observations
page.
8. Pour the water into the sink and rinse out all the equipment. Turn off the burner but don’t
touch it.
Reaction 3
9. Place 5 mL of sodium iodide solution into a small, clean test tube. Place 5 mL of lead(II)
nitrate solution into a second, small, clean test tube. Note observations about the appearance
of both solutions on the observations page.
10. Pour the contents of one test tube into the other. Note new observations about the
appearance of the solution on the observations page.
11. Place a funnel into the ring clamp on the ring stand and prepare to catch the liquid below the
funnel in a 250 mL beaker.
12. Prepare a piece of filter paper:
13. Filter the solution from the test tube through the filter paper. A small amount of distilled
water may be used to wash out the test tube into the filter if needed.
14. Remove the filter paper from the funnel and gently open it back up to a circle. Note an
observation about color of the solid on the observations page.
15. Neatly clean up the funnel, ring clamp, ring stand, and wash the liquid in the beaker into the
sink. The filter paper and solid should be thrown away.
Reactions 4 & 5
16. Half fill a 250 mL beaker with tap water. Test the water with red and blue litmus paper and
note any color changes on the observations page.
17. Get a clean, DRY watch glass and bring it to your instructor to get a sample of sodium metal.
18. Without touching the sample with your hand (contacting sodium or potassium with skin can
cause severe burns), invert the watch glass over the beaker of water so the sodium falls into
the water. If the sodium is stuck, it might be necessary to scrape it off the watch glass upon
the inside wall of the beaker. Once the sodium is in the water, use the watch glass to cover
the beaker like a lid, and take a step back.
19. Once the sodium has finished reacting test the water with red and blue litmus paper. Note any
color changes on the observations page.
20. Wash the water (and reacted sodium) into the sink. Repeat steps 16-19 with potassium
metal, instead of sodium. It will not be necessary to test with litmus paper.
21. When finished with both the sodium and potassium, clean out the equipment and clean up
any mess caused by the reactions.
Reaction 6
22. Pour 25 mL of carbonic acid (soda water) into a large test tube.
23. Stopper the test tube and vigorously shake the contents.
24. Place the test tube in the test tube rack and make note of what happens to the stopper on the
observations page.
25. Rinse the remaining carbonic acid down the drain.
Reaction 7
26. Place a small drop of dishsoap into a small test tube.
27. Pour in 2 mL of hydrogen peroxide solution and place it in the test tube rack.
28. Add a few single crystals of potassium iodide (catalyst), and allow the reaction to proceed for
a couple of minutes. Note an observation about what forms on the observations page.
29. Light a laboratory burner, but keep it as a small yellow-orange flame. Take a wooden splint
and light it in the laboratory burner. Allow it to burn for a few seconds. Blow out the splint
and while it is still glowing insert it about 2 cm into the mouth of the test tube. Note what
happens to the splint on the observations page.
30. Rinse out the test tube (and rinse off any soap bubbles on the test tube rack). Leave the
burner lit for reaction 9.
Reactions 8 & 9
31. To set up a gas producing and collecting apparatus, prepare a ring stand with a utility clamp
and a large test tube. Fit the large test tube with a one-hole rubber stopper with an inserted
right angle glass bend.
32. Fill a plastic tub about of water. Fill a second large test tube completely with water, cover it
with your hand, and invert it into the large beaker of water. Try to minimize the amount of
air trapped at the top of the inverted test tube. If the test tube will not stay inverted on its
own, then it will need to be held.
33. Attach rubber tubing to the free end of the right angle glass tube and run the other end inside
the mouth of the inverted test tube. The apparatus should now look like this:
34. Gently remove the one-hole stopper from the test tube and pour in 10 mL of HCl.
35. Add in a couple pieces of zinc metal, and restopper the large test tube tightly. Note
observations about what happens on the observations page.
36. Allow the collecting test tube to completely fill with gas.
37. Keeping the tube inverted, remove the tube from the water and place it mouth down onto the
laboratory bench.
38. Relight the wooden splint, lift the test tube (keep it inverted) and place the lighted splint near
the mouth of the test tube. A whistling sound should be heard. Do not drop the test tube,
you will be fine. Note what happened on the observations page.
39. Remove, clean, and set aside the equipment. Any left over solid zinc should be placed in the
trash, and the liquids can be washed down the drain with lots of water. Turn off the
laboratory burner, but do not touch it as it will be hot.
Observations Page
Step #
1
7
9
10
14
16
19
24
28
29
35
38
Observation
Analysis Page
Name _________________________________ Period ___
Study the observations you recorded. Identify the type of the reaction (double replacement,
single replacement, synthesis, or decomposition), and then write and balanced equation for the
reaction.
Reaction #
1
2
Type of Reaction
Balanced Equation
combustion of sulfur
product of #1 and water
3
4
5
6
7
peroxide yeilds water and a gas
8
zinc and hydrochloric acid
9
combustion of the gas from #8
Conclusions
1. What type of reaction(s) cannot involve a free element as a reactant, and why?
2. Using oxygen, hydrogen, and water, write balanced equations to demonstrate that
decomposition is the reverse of synthesis.
3. How do single replacement reactions differ from double replacement reactions?