GRAVIMETRIC

ESTIMATION
OF CHLORIDE
IONS
Aneeqa Haider, Ariel Tsang, Carrie Fan, Fabiha Nuzhat
Introduction
 Chloride ion
○ Cl + e−  Cl−
 Chloride
○ Results from the
combination of Cl2
with a metal (e.g.
NaCl)
 Reactants: NaCl,
Chloride Ion AgNO3
Introduction
 Gravimetric analysis
○ The set of procedures to determine the quantity of a
substance present in the mass of a solid
 Seven steps
1. Drying and measuring the masses of samples to be
analysed
2. Dissolving the sample in distilled water.
3. Precipitating the substance by adding a reagent.
4. Separating the precipitate from the solution by
filtration.
5. Washing precipitate free of impurities.
6. Drying precipitate to obtain mass.
7. Determine the amount of the original ion based on
the known mass and composition of the
precipitate.
Introduction
 Objective: Determine the amount of
chloride ions present in a given
solution of NaCl using AgNO3 as a
reagent.
 Problem: What is the amount of
chloride ions present in 0.2 g of
Sodium Chloride (NaCl)?
 Hypothesis: The number of chloride
ions present in 0.2 g of NaCl is
approximately 2.06 x 10²¹.
Materials
 Erlenmeyer Flask  Distilled Water  Clay Triangle
(2)
 Dropper  Safety Goggles
 Beaker (1)
 Test Tubes (2)  Spatula
 Funnel (1)
 Bunsen Burner  Stirring Rod
 Ashless Filter
 Crucible and lid  Graduated
Paper (1)
Cylinder
 Crucible tongs
 Paper Clips (4)
 Retort Stand
 Balance
 Ring Clamp

Procedure
1. Formation of the precipitate

2. Filtration of the solution containing the precipitate

3. Measurement of the mass of AgCl by drying the

filter paper

4. Measurement of the mass of AgCl by burning the

ashless filter paper
Formation of the Precipitate
 0.2 g of NaCl was
dissolved in Distilled
Water in Erlenmeyer Flask
 3.4 g of AgNO3 (aq) was
poured into Erlenmeyer
Flask containing NaCl (aq) .
 Solution was put into rest
until all the precipitate
formed.
Filtration of the Solution containing the
Precipitate

 Filter paper, funnel and Erlenmeyer

flask were set up
 The solution containing the
precipitate was poured through the
filter paper
 Washed periodically with Distilled
water
Measurement of the Mass of
AgCl by drying the filter paper

 Filter paper and precipitate were

completely dried

 Mass of the precipitate:

○ Mass of the filter paper with precipitate -
Mass of the filter paper
Measurement of the Mass of AgCl
by burning the ashless filter paper
 Retort stand, ring clamp, clay triangle,
and Bunsen burner were set up
 Filter paper was carefully folded with
the precipitate inside, and placed in the
crucible
 Crucible was heated until no more
filter paper was left
 Mass of Precipitate:
○ Mass of crucible, lid & precipitate –
Mass of crucible & lid
Safety Precautions
 General Safety
Precautions

 Safety precautions
specific for this
experiment:
○ Avoiding contact with Silver Chloride (AgCl)
○ Safety precautions while using the Bunsen
burner
Observations
 Formation of the Precipitate
Objects Mass (g) Calculation
Filter paper 1.04 g
Filter paper with NaCl 1.24 g
NaCl 0.2 g (1.24 g - 1.0 g)
Graduated cylinder 22.48 g
Graduated cylinder with 27.08 g
AgNO3

AgNO3 3.4 g (27.48 g - 22.48 g)

Observations
 Measurement of the mass of AgCl by
drying the filter paper

Objects Mass (g) Calculation

Filter paper 1.04 g
Filter paper with 1.43 g
AgCl
AgCl 0.39 g (1.43 g - 1.04 g)
Observations
 Measurement of the mass of AgCl by
drying the filter paper

Objects Mass (g) Calculation

Crucible and lid 32.13 g
Crucible, lid and 32.64 g
contents (AgCl)
AgCl 0.51 g (32.64 g - 32.13 g)
Calculations –
Known Information

 Mass used of Sodium Chloride (NaCl):

○ 0.2 g
 Molar mass of NaCl:
○ 35.45 g/mol
 Percentage composition by mass of
Silver Chloride (AgCl):
○ Silver (Ag) = 75%
○ Chloride (Cl) = 25%
Calculations –
By Drying Filter Paper
 Mass of filter paper:
○ 1.04g
 Mass of filter paper + AgCl:
○ 1.43g
 AgCl:
○ (1.43g – 1.04g) = 0.39g
 Mass of chloride ions present:
○ 0.25 x 0.39g = 0.0975g
Calculations –
By Drying Filter Paper
 Number of moles of chloride ions:
= Mass of Cl
Molar Mass of Cl
= 0.0975g
35.45g
= 0.00275 mol
Calculations –
By Drying Filter Paper
 Mole = Avogadro's number
○ 6.022 x 1023
 Number of chloride ions:
= (# of moles) x (Avogadro's number)
= (0.00275) x (6.022 x 1023)
= 1.656 x 1021 chloride ions present in
0.2 g of NaCl by drying filter paper
Calculations –
By Burning Ashless Paper
 Mass of crucible + lid + filter paper:
○ 32.13g
 Mass of crucible + lid + filter paper +
AgCl
○ 32.64g
 AgCl
○ (32.64g – 32.13g) = 0.51g
 Mass of chloride ions present:
○ 0.25 x 0.51g = 0.1275g
Calculations –
By Burning Ashless Paper
 Number of moles of chloride ions:
= Mass of Cl
Molar Mass of Cl
= 0.1275g
35.45g
=0.00360 mol
Calculations –
By Burning Ashless Paper
 Mole = Avogadro's number:
○ 6.022 x 1023
 Number of chloride ions:
○ (# of moles) x (Avogadro's number)
○ (0.00360) x (6.022 x 1023)
○ 2.167 x 1021 chloride ions present in 0.2 g of
NaCl by burning filter paper
How did the Law of Conservation of
Mass help predict the amount of Cl
ions in AgCl?

 Law of Conservation of Mass

○ Mass of the reactants = Mass of the
products

 Mass of Cl ions in NaCl (reactant)

= Mass of Cl ion is AgCl (product)
What type of chemical reaction is
taking place in this experiment?

 Double displacement reaction:

AB + CD → AD + CB 

AgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) → AgCl (s) + NaNO3 (aq)

Why does NaCl dissolve in water?
 Hydration
provides
greater stability
than lattice
energy
 Hydration shell

Water – dipole moment

Why doesn’t AgCl dissolve in
water?
 More stable as a solid precipitate
than separate ions
 Hydration energy provided is less
than lattice energy released when
compound forms
What are some properties of
AgCl?
 White crystalline solid
 Light sensitive
○ Purple  black
 Change colour when AgCl  Ag + Cl
 Dry powder, doesn’t draw moisture
from the air
 Very low solubility
 MP: 455°C BP: 1550°C
Why doesn’t an excess amount
of AgNO3 affect the chemical
reaction in the experiment?
 AgNO3 is the excess reagent
 Amount of chloride ions = product
 In this double displacement reaction all of the NaCl
must be used up
 LR = NaCl : limits amount of AgNO3 used
limits amount of products
 An excess of AgNO3 will not react since all the NaCl
is used up already
Why was it necessary to wash off
all the impurities from the AgCl
precipitate?
 Otherwise, mass of the impurities
would be included in the mass of the
AgCl precipitate
 Causes an inaccurate measurement
of mass of AgCl
 Causes inaccurate determination of
the number of Cl ions
Why were the contents of the
crucible slightly gray in colour
after heating?
 Contents: AgCl and ashless filter
paper
 Ashless filter paper turned into CO2
 Remaining content: AgCl
 AgCl is a white coloured powder at
SATP
 Upon heating, AgCl undergoes
decomposition to yield Ag and Cl
Percentage Yield and Error
 Percentage Yield
= Actual Yield x 100
Theoretical Yield
= 80%

 Percentage Error
= (Theoretical Yield – Actual Yield) x 100
Theoretical Yield
= 20%
Conclusion
 By drying filter paper:
○ Number of chloride ions in 0.2g of NaCl is
1.656 x 1021
 By burning ashless filter paper:
○ Number of chloride ions in 0.2g of NaCl is
2.167 x 1021
 Amount of ions present in NaCl =
amount of ions present in AgCl
○ Law of Conservation of Mass
Sources of Error
 The reading on the electrical balance
was observed to change constantly
○ Due to slight air currents
○ Contents being weighted were extremely light
○ Measured multiple times
 Small amounts of AgCl were stuck in the
flask after attempts to remove it
○ Caused alterations in final mass
○ Inaccurate percentage yield
Sources of Error
 Ashless filter paper not burned away
completely
○ final mass greater than expected
 Crucible was placed on counter to
allow for cooling
○ picked up unwanted particles on the
counter
Suggestions
 Use of better quality ashless filter
paper that will completely burn away
without leaving any unwanted
residue
 Use of clean crucible and lid
 Minimum transfer of the samples
from container to container
THE END.
Thank you for listening
to our presentation.