Procedure

Unknown Substance


Material List:
1. unknown substance
2. simple filtration paper
3. pegboard
4. pegboard hardware
5. 2 beakers
6. 1 glass test tube
7. 1 bunsen burner
8. 1 scupula
9. 1 thermometer
10. 1 rubber stopper and tube
11. 1 striker
12. 10 mL of water
13. 1 dropper
14. tweezers
15. wand (for flame test)
16. triangular bunsen burner stand
17. 1 evaporation dish

Procedure:

1. Use simple filtration to separate the liquid part of the unknown substance from the
solid part into a beaker
a. Get as much of the liquid out of the substance as possible by squeezing the
filtration paper around the solid substance
b. if there is not enough liquid to remove all existing liquid, add water. Continue
adding if needed
c. do not rip the filtration paper
d. if the paper starts to slip into the beaker, reposition with tweezers
2. Once most liquid has been removed from unknown substance and is in the test tube,
put the solid part in a different container and throw away (this will not be needed
again)
3. Pour the liquid part into a glass test tube
4. Set up tools needed for fractional distillation
a. Get out peg board and make sure that the wooden lip is facing away from the
wall

b. get out a bunsen burner and set up correctly, making sure that the rubber
tube is securely connected to the gas valve
c. Set up pegboard hardware and securely fasten the test tube with the
unknown substances liquid part in it
d. Put the rubber stopper and thermometer in the test tube, make sure that the
thermometer is in the liquid but not touching the side or bottom of the test
tube
e. make sure that the rubber tube is lying in the other glass beaker but when
the liquid starts coming through, make sure that the tube is not touching the
liquid that drops into the beaker
f. start the gas of the bunsen burner and light it on fire
5. Watch the temperature of the substance and record when the first liquid starts to
separate
a. Wait until it seems that the substance is no longer evaporating or until the
temperature has continued rising
6. Turn the bunsen burner off and remove rubber stopper, thermometer and glass
bend.
7. Pour liquid into an evaporating dish
8. Turn Bunsen Burner back on and continue heating liquid until it is completely solid
9. Once all or most of the substance has turned into a solid, turn bunsen burner off and
remove the evaporation dish from the triangular bunsen burner stand
10. Wet the tip of the flame test stick and dip it into the solid substance
a. make sure that all of the tip is coated
11. Turn on the bunsen Burner and sick the tip of the Flame test stick into the fire
a. observe what color the flame turns
12. record and search internet for substances that have all of the known characteristics
of matter for the unknown substance

Characteristic Properties:
Blue in solid and liquid form
Plant Poison
Flame Test: Green
Solute of water

Conclusion:
Copper sulfate pentahydrate