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PRE-LAB DISCUSSION:
In this lab, we are going to determine the molar mass of butane, C4H10, experimentally. A simple
calculation using a periodic table would give us the correct answer for the molar mass of butane,
however, you are going to conduct an experiment in the lab to see how close you can come to
the accepted value. We know the idea gas law is PV = nRT. The ideal gas law equation can
be rearranged to solve for n, the number of moles:
n = PV
RT
We are trying to find the molar mass, which is expressed in units of grams per mole (g/mol). We
will measure the mass of the butane released from the pressurized container, and we will
measure the volume of the gas that we collect. You can use the method of water displacement at
room conditions and then substitute the measurements of volume, temperature, and pressure into
the ideal gas law equation in order to find n, the number of moles of butane. Once we know the
mass, and the number of moles, we will divide the mass by the number of moles to calculate the
molar mass (g/mol).
WARNING: Butane is a flammable gas, and at NO TIME during this lab should there be
any use of an open flame or other heat source!
QUESTION: What is the molar mass of butane? Butane is the gas used as fuel for a cigarette
lighter.
HYPOTHESIS: If we can capture a sample of gas and determine the mass of the sample and the
number of moles, then we can calculate the molar mass using the following equation:
Temperature
6. Temperature of water basin in °C °C
7. Tbutane = Temperature of water in K K
(we can assume the water
temp = butane temp)
Pbutane atm
Moles
1. Calculate the number of moles of butane collected using R = 0.0821 atm · L / mol · K
P= PV = nRT
V=
n = __________
R=
Τ=
n=
2. Calculate the experimental molar mass of butane by dividing the mass, M (line 3),
by n, the number of moles.
MM experimental =
3. Calculate the accepted value for the molar mass of butane using a periodic table.
Butane C4H10
MM accepted =
4. Calculate the ERROR (the difference between the accepted value and your
experimental value).
¿ Experimental – Theoretical
5. Calculate the percent error in your result. This is: x 100
Theoretical
% error
Analysis:
1. How many grams of butane did you collect in this experiment?
2. What volume would the same number of grams of ethane (C2H6) have occupied at the
same conditions of temperature and pressure?