MIGRATION OF IONS

OBJECTIVES

To determine how the migration of ions takes place

MATERIALS

 Microscope slides
 Filter paper
 Potassium permanganate crystal
 Crocodile clips
 Power supply – 20V DC
 Copper wire

PROCEDURES

 Cut a piece of filter paper slightly smaller than a microscope slide. Draw a faint
pencil line across the middle.
 Moisten the filter paper with tap water. Fasten the paper to the slide with
crocodile clips.
 Use forceps to put a small crystal of potassium manganite in the centre of the
paper.
 Connect the clips to a power supply set at not more than 20V DC. Switch on
and wait about ten minutes.

QUESTIONS

1. What is the advantage and disadvantage of migration of ions?

2. Do you think it is possible to help you?

CONCLUSIONS

Potassium permanganate consists of two ions – potassium (K+) and

permanganate ions. One of these ions is coloured. From the direction of
movement, it indicates that the charge on the permanganate ion (+7) is reduced
to Mn+2 ion.
 DISAPPEARING INK

OBJECTIVES

To study the effects of disappearing ink

MATERIALS

 Ethanol
 Thymolphthalein
 Beaker
 Sodium hydroxide solution
 Small paint brush
 White paper

PROCEDURES

 Place 10 cm3 of ethanol in a small beaker.

 Add a few drops of thymolphthalein (Highly flammable) indicator solution.
 Add just enough NaOH solution (irritant), drop wise, to produce a deep blue
colour in the solution.
 Using a small paint brush test the ‘disappearing ink’ on a white page.

QUESTIONS

What makes the ink disappear?

CONCLUSIONS

The colour change occurs because hydroxide reacts with a gas in the air.
 GLUE FROM MILK

OBJECTIVES

To study the effect of glue from milk

MATERIALS

 Conical flask, beaker

 Funnel, filter paper
 Milk
 Acetic acid

PROCEDURES

 Place 125 ml of skimmed milk into a 250 ml beaker. Add approximately 25 ml

of acetic (or vinegar).
 Heat gently with constant stirring until small lumps begin to form.
 Remove from the heat and continue to stir until no more lumps form.
 Allow the curds to settle, decant some of the liquid (whey) and filter off the
remainder using the filter funnel resting on the 250 ml conical flask.
 Gently remove excess liquid from the curds using the paper towel.
 Return the solid to the empty beaker. Add 15 ml of water to the solid and stir.
 Add about half a teaspoon of sodium hydrogencarbonate to neutralise any
remaining acid. (Watch for bubbles of gas to appear then add a little more
sodium hydrogencarbonate until no more bubbles appear).
 The substance in the beaker is glue.
 Find a way to test your glue.

QUESTIONS

What are the properties of milk to become a glue?

How effective is the glue made out of milk compare to other brand of glue?

CONCLUSIONS

Glue can be made from the protein in milk called casein. In this experiment,
polymer glue is prepared from milk. The casein is separated from milk by processes
called coagulation and precipitation.
 CAUSES OF RUSTING

OBJECTIVES

To study the causes of rusting

MATERIALS

 Nail
 Deionised water
 Boiled deionised water
 test tubes – 4 numbers

PROCEDURES

 Place a clean nail into a test – tube that contains a little deionised water.
 Place a clean nail into a test – tube that contains a little boiled deionised
water. Pour about 1 cm depth of oil onto the surface.
 Place about 2 cm depth of anhydrous calcium chloride granules into a test –
tube. Add a nail on top and place a bung on the blue.
 Leave the tubes for more than three days and then re – examine the nails.

QUESTIONS

What will be the difference of deionised water and boiled deionised water?

Which of the two elements make the nail to rust faster?

CONCLUSIONS

Rusting is the form of oxidation layer on bare metal. Iron forms iron oxide on
reactions with atmospheric oxygen.
 METAL COUPLING ON RUSTING OF IRON

OBJECTIVES

To study the effect of metal coupling on rusting of iron

MATERIALS

 Two petridishes
 four iron nails
 beaker
 sand paper
 wire gauge
 Gelatin
 Copper
 zinc and magnesium strips
 potassium ferricyanide solution
 phenolphthalein

PROCEDURES

1. Clean the surface of iron nails with the help of sand paper. Wash them with
carbon tetrachloride and dry on filter paper.
2. Wind a clean strip around one nail, a clean copper wire around the second and
clean magnesium strip around the third nail. Put all these three and a fourth nail
in petridish so that they are not in contact with each other.
3. Preparation of agar agar solution. Heat about 3g of agar agar in 100ml of water
taken in a beaker until solution becomes clear. Add about 1ml of 0.1M potassium
ferri-cyanide solution, 1ml of phenol-phthalein solution and stir well the contents.
4. Fill petridishes with hot agar agar solution in such a way that only lower half of
nails are covered with liquid.
5. Keep the covered petridishes undisturbed for one day or so.
6. The liquid sets to gel on cooling. Two types of patches are observed around the
rusted nail, one is blue and the other pink. Blue patch is due to the reaction
 between Ferrous ions and potassium ferricyanide to form potassium Ferro-
ferricyanide, KFe[Fe(CN)6] whereas pink patch is due to the formation of hydroxyl
ions which turns colourless phenolphthalein to pink.
QUESTIONS

What will be the effect if the water that is used in this experiment is greater
than the required measurement?

CONCLUSIONS

It is clear from the observations that coupling of iron with more electropositive metal
such as zinc and magnesium resists corrosion and rusting of iron. Coupling of iron
with less electropositive metal such as copper increases rusting.