Kaylyn Galie

11/10/14
Chemistry Block 4
James Bond Lab

Data Table:

Compound

Texture

Odor?
Odorless
Odorless

Melting
Point
High
High

Soluble in
Water?
Yes
Yes

Soluble in
Acetone?
No
No

Conductive
with Water?
Yes
Yes

NaCl
Unknown
14
Unknown
15
Camphor

Crystal
Crystal
Powdery

Yes

Low

No

Yes

No

Sandy

Yes

Low

No

Yes

No

Questions:
1. It shows that ionic compounds have a high melting point, while covalent compounds have a low
melting point.
2. I believe that a covalent compound would be more dangerous near an open flame because it
has a lower melting point, therefore a reaction could occur faster.
3. Ionic compounds are soluble in water. These ionic compounds were NaCl and Unknown 14.
4. Covalent compounds are soluble in acetone. These covalent compounds include Unknown 15
and Camphor.
5. The ionic compounds conducted electricity when dissolved in water. These compounds were
NaCl and Unknown 14.
6. You could separate these two compounds by using a filter and a beaker. You could place the
mixed compound in the filter and add water into the filter. Then, you can determine the
compound because the substance remaining in the filter is a covalent compound because they
arent soluble in water. The ionic compound would be dissolved in the bottom of the beaker
because ionic compounds are soluble in water.
7. The ionic compounds were NaCl and Unknown 14. They are ionic compounds because ionic
compounds are really hard, odorless, have a high melting point, dissolve in water, not soluble in
acetone, and are conductive with water. The covalent compounds were Unknown 15 and
Camphor. They are covalent compounds because covalent compounds are mushy, have an odor,
have a high melting point, arent soluble in water, are soluble in acetone, and arent conductive
with water.

Kaylyn Galie
11/10/14
Chemistry Block 4
Conclusion:
My hypothesis was, if a compound has a high melting point, then the compound will be ionic.
My hypothesis was correct because both of the ionic compounds of NaCl and Unknown 14 had high
melting points, showing they are ionic. The purpose of the experiment was to identify the unknown
compounds either as ionic or covalent. We did this experiment by testing the compounds melting point
by using a Bunsen burner, finding the compounds solubility in water and acetone by seeing if the
compound dissolves in either water or acetone, and seeing whether or not the compound was
conductive in water by using the conductivity tester. The results from the experiment showed that the
ionic compounds were NaCl and Unknown 14, while the covalent compounds were Unknown 15 and
Camphor.
We were able to determine the compound by whether or not it had an odor. Covalent
compounds have an odor due to the particles being not closely held together. Therefore, ionic
compounds are odorless because their particles are held closely together. NaCl and Unknown 14 were
ionic because they were odorless and Unknown 15 and Camphor were covalent because they had an
odor. The substances that were brittle or hard were NaCl and Unknown 14 because they both are ionic
compounds due to the strong attraction between the particles. The compounds that were mushy or soft
were Unknown 15 and Camphor because they both are covalent compounds due to the particles being
less attracted to each other. The ionic compounds from the experiment dissolved in water, making it
non-polar. However, the ionic compounds didnt dissolve in the acetone, making them polar, due to the
unequal share of electrons. The covalent compounds from the experiment didnt dissolve in water,
making them polar, due to the unequal amount of electrons. However, the covalent compounds did
dissolve in acetone, making them non-polar, due to the amount of equally shared electrons. The
covalent compounds, which were Unknown 15 and Camphor, had low melting points, due to the small
attractions between the particles. On the other hand, the ionic compounds, which were NaCl and
Unknown 14, had high melting points due to the high attractions between the particles. The covalent
compounds, which included Unknown 15 and Camphor, werent conductive in water. They werent
conductive because the electrons or the charged particles couldnt move easily throughout the
compound. However, the ionic compounds, which were NaCl and Unknown 14, were conductive in
water. They were conductive because the electrons or the charged particles could easily move
throughout the compound.
One possible source of error could have been the test tubes not being cleaned thoroughly. If the
test tubes were not cleaned properly, residue and possibly smells from the previous substance could
have been lingering on the test tube, which could have affected the smell of the compound. This could
possibly lead to the confusion that a compound was covalent, when it really could have been ionic. A
way to avoid that error would be to make sure that all of the test tubes are properly cleaned before
starting the experiment. This would help to make the results more accurate. These are the reasons why I
believe that the ionic compounds were NaCl and Unknown 14, while the covalent compounds were
Unknown 15 and Camphor.