International University of Ho Chi Minh City

Degree Programme of Biochemistry

General Chemistry Laboratory Course

LAB EXPERIMENT REPORT

Experiment #4: Chemical Equilibrium

L Phng Anh BTBCIU15013

Report /11/2015

Introduction:
In a chemical reaction, chemical equilibrium is the state in which both reactants and
products are present in concentrations which have no further tendency to change with
time. When there are stresses such as the change is concentration, temperature and
pressure which effect the reversible reaction, the chemical equilibrium will be disturbed.
In order to reestablish the chemical equilibrium, the composition of the reaction mixture
will shift in the direction that against the effect of change as the Le Chateliers Principle.
In this experiment, we will improve our knowledge of chemical equilibrium and of the
way that reversible reation reestablish the chemical equilibrium in many situations.
1.ACID/BASE EQUILIBRIA
Procedure:
- Place 10 drops of 0.5 M K2CrO4 to a clean test tube.
- Add 10 drops of concentrated HCl. Observe the change of color.
- And then add 5 drops of 6N NaOH. Record your observations.
Result:
Equilibrium System:
2CrO42- + 2H+ <-> Cr2O72- + H2O
Description
of conditions

Predicted
outcome

Observation

Initial
solution

The color of the The color of the

solution is not solution is
changed.
yellow.

Picture

Explanation

The equation
equilibrium.

is

in

+ Conc. HCl

The color of the

solution changes
to orange.

The color of the

solution
changes from
yellow to orange

When we add HCl, the

concentration of H+
increases
so
the
reaction shifts to the
right and produces
more Cr2O72- which has
orange color.

+ 6N NaOH

The color of the The color of the

solution changes solution
to yellow.
changes
from
orange to light
orange

When we add NaOH,

ion OH- reacts with ion
H+ in solution that lead
to the decreasing in
concentration of H+ so
that the reaction will
shift to the right and
produce more CrO42which has yellow color.
In this picture, we see
that the solution has
the light orange
because we just add a
small amount of NaOH,
thus the color of the
solution will not change
clearly.

Conclusion:
The equilibrium of the reversible reaction will be disturbed due to the change of
concentration of reactants. We see that the result of the experiment is consistent with
the Le Chateliers Principle which is when we add more reactants, the reaction will shifts
to the right and when we reduce the reactants, the reaction will shifts to the left to
reestablish the equilibrium.
2. EQUILIBRIA OF ACID/BASE INDICATORS:
Procedure:
Place 2 drops of methyl violet to a clean test tube. Add 20 mL of distilled water, mix well.
Divide the solution evenly into two test tubes. Save one as a reference. Note the color.
- Test tube # 1 (reference): add nothing
- Test tube # 2:
Addition # 1: add the 6 M HCl solution drop wise until further addition results in no
significant change. Observe the change.

 Addition # 2: add the 6 M NaOH solution drop wise until further addition results in no
color change. Observe the change.
Addition # 3: again add the 6 M HCl solution drop wise until further
addition results in no significant change. Observe the change.
Result:
Equilibrium System:
H(MV) + H2O <-> H3O+ + MVAddition

Predicted
outcome

Observation

None

No color
change

The color of
the solution is
violet

6M HCl

The color of the The color of

solution
the
solution
changes
changes from
violet to blue

When we add HCl, the

concentration
of
H+
increases so the equation
will shift to the left which
have different color (blue)

6M NaOH

The color of the

solution
changes to the
initial
color
(violet)

When we add NaOH, the

ion OH- reacts with ion H+
that lead to the decreasing
in concentration of H+ so
that the equation will shift to
the
right
(the
initial
direction), thus, the solution
will have the same color
with the initial solution but
much lighter because of the
large amount of water
which has in the solution
we add

The color of
the
solution
changes
to
light violet

Picture

Explanation

The equation is in
equilibrium.

6M HCl

The color of the The

solution
solution
becomes
changes to the transparent
other color

When we add HCl, the

concentration
of
H+
increases so the equation
will shift to the left which
have different color (blue).
In this picture, the solution
is transparent because of
the large amount of water in
the solution we add that
lighten the blue color.
Hence, we can not see the
blue color anymore

Conclusion:
The result of experiment with acid/base indicator is also consistent with the Le
Chateliers Principle
3. Complex ion formation:
Procedure:
Preparation of iron (III) thiocyanate solution: in a 150 mL beaker, place 10 mL of
0.01 M FeCl3 and 10 mL of 0.01 M KSCN, and then add 50 mL of distilled water, mix
well. Divide the solution evenly among 6 similarly-sized test tubes (# 1-7).
- Test tube # 1 (control): add nothing
- Test tube # 2: add 2 mL of 0.1 M FeCl3 to the solution.
- Test tube # 3: add 2 mL of 0.1 M KSCN to the solution.
- Test tube # 4: add 10 drops of 6 M NaOH to the solution.
- Test tube # 5: cool the test tube in an ice bath.
- Test tube # 6: warm the test tube in a hot water bath. Compare the intensity of
the color in test tubes # 1(control room temperature), # 5 (cold), and # 6 (hot).
- Test tube # 7: add 0.1 M AgNO3 solution drop by drop until all the color disappears.
Equilibrium System:
Fe + SCN [FeNCS] 2+
3+

(Pale yellow)
Addition

Predicted

(Clear)

(Red)

Observation

Explanation

Outcome
None

No color change.

The color of the

solution is red.

The equation is in equilibrium.

0.01M FeCl3

The color of the

The color of the

When we add FeCl3, the

solution turns to red

solution changes to
dark red

concentration of Fe3+ increases

so that the equation shifts to the
right and produces more
[FeNCS]2+ which has red color.

0.01M KSCN

The color of the

solution turns to red

The color of the

solution changes to
dark red

When we add KSCN, the

concentration of SCN- increases
so that the equation shifts to the
right and produces more
[FeNCS]2+ which has red color.

0.01M NaOH

The color of the

solution turns to pale
yellow

The color of the

solution changes to
light yellow

When we add NaOH, the ion

OH- reacts with ion Fe3+ in the
solution that lead to the
decreasing in concentration of
Fe3+ so that the equation shifts
to the left and produces more
Fe3+ which has pale yellow color

Cold

The color of the

solution is still red

The color of the

solution is red

This system is exothermal

reation so when the temperature
decreases, the equation will
shift to the right and produce
more [FeNCS]2+ which has red
color.

Hot

The color of the

solution turns to
yellow

The color of the

solution turns to light
yellow.

This system is exothermal

reation so when the temperature
increases, the equation will shift
to the right and produce more
Fe3+ which has pale yellow color

0.1M AgNO3

The white
precipitation
appears.

-The white
precipitation.

When we add AgNO3, the ion

Ag+ reacts with ion SCN- to form
white precipitation (AgSCN)

Picture:

-The color of the

solution turns to
white.

The decreasing in concentration

of SCN make the reaction shift
to the left to produce more SCN
which is clear.

Conclusion:
The change in concentration and temperature will lead to the shift of reaction in the
direction which against the effect of change as the Le Chateliers Principle.