Homework assignment (to be completed BEFORE the lab and on a separate piece of paper):
1. Write the lab purpose.
2. Research and write the chemical safety hazards for chemicals used in this lab. Include any other
necessary safety precautions.
3. Create a storyboard to illustrate the experimental procedures. Include a list of materials needed.
4. Create a data table to record your observations.
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Lab: Ionic Compounds
Purpose
This experiment will help you to:
 Recognize and describe precipitates
 Observe the formation of ionic compounds
 Write the names and formulas of ionic compounds
 Write net ionic equations
Materials
 0.05 M AgNO3
 0.2 M Pb(NO3)2
 0.5 M CaCl2
 1.0 M Na2CO3
 0.1 M Na3PO4
 0.5 M NaOH






0.2 M Na2SO4
0.2 M CuSO4
0.2 M MgSO4
0.1 M FeCl3
10 droppers/pipets


Distilled water &
wash bottle
1 transparency
Large beaker (400
mL or larger)
Safety Precautions *Research and record any chemical safety hazards and precautions in this lab.
Procedures
1) Place the transparency over the grid.
2) Put 5 drops of the chemical at your lab station into each of the corresponding grid boxes.
3) Select your most responsible student to take your chemical with the dropper over to the next
lab station.
4) Repeat steps 2-3 with the new chemical at your lab station until you have used up each of the
10 chemicals
5) In the data table, describe each precipitate (product) that forms. Describe the color and use
terms such as milky, grainy, cloudy, or gelatinous. If no precipitate forms (and the mixture is
completely transparent), write “soluble” in the data box.
6) Clean up: Curve the transparency and pour all the liquids and precipitates into the beaker at
your lab station. Rinse the transparencies with the wash bottle & dry with a paper towel. Wear
gloves when cleaning up the transparencies.
Data & Observations
AgNO3
(Ag+)
Na2CO3
A
(CO3-2)
Na3PO4
B
(PO4-3)
NaOH
C
(OH-)
Na2SO4
D
(SO4-2)
Pb(NO3)2
(Pb+2)
CaCl2
(Ca+2)
FeCl3
(Fe+3)
MgSO4
(Mg+2)
CuSO4
(Cu+2)
E
I
M
Q
U
F
J
N
R
V
G
K
O
S
W
H
L
P
T
X
Analyzing & Interpreting Data
For EACH precipitate formed:
1. Write their chemical formula and name.
2. Write the net ionic equation to represent the formation of the precipitate.
*In ionic equations, the precipitate is written to the right of an arrow, and the ions that produced it
are written to the left. For example:
2 Ag + CO  Ag CO
+
-2
3
2
3
Reflection – Verify your understanding of the chemistry concepts investigated by writing a paragraph to
address the following:
 Paragraph 1
o What is an ion?
o How do cations form? How do anions form?
o Why do ions form? (Why do they gain/lose very specific numbers of electrons?)
o How does a polyatomic anion differ from a monatomic anion?
 Paragraph 2
o What is the net ionic charge of every ionic compound?
o What is a binary ionic compound?
o How are formulas written for binary ionic compounds, given their names? How is the
reverse done?
o How do you determine the charge of a transition metal cation from the formula of an
ionic compound containing that cation?
o How are formulas written for ionic compounds with polyatomic ions, given their
names? How is the reverse done?
o When must parentheses be used in a formula? Why are they necessary?