NickTarasewicz

DeterminingBondingPropertiesofUnknownSubstances

Introduction:

Thepurposeofthislabwastoidentifywhichoutofsixunknownsampleswereionicallyor
covalentlybonded.Thiswasaccomplishedthroughamultitudeofexperiments(suchas
solubilityinwater,meltingpoint,anddissolvedconductivity)performedoneachofthe
samples.Theexperimentsweredesignedtodeterminewhichofthesubstancespresented
thephysicalcharacteristicsofanionicorcovalentcompoundbyusingthedifferencesintheir
bondingstructures.

Whenanionicsubstanceisformed,oneatomlosesoneormoreelectronstoformapositive
ion(cation)andtheotheratomgainsanelectrontoformanegativeion(anion).Theseions
arestronglyattractedtoeachotherinatightlypackednetwork.Electronsaretransferred
betweenatomstocreateafullvalence,oroutershell,electronsetofeight,whichisthemost
securestateofexistenceforanatom.

Ionicallybondedsubstancesformcrystalswhoseparticlesarearrangedinalattice
(repeating)structure.Theionsarrangethemselvessothatinversechargesareneareach
otherandapartfromlikecharges,resultinginaverystrongattractionbetweenatoms.

Ionicsubstancesarehard,solid,andcrystallineinshapemaintainingtheirstructureevenif
broken.Asaresultoftheirtight,uniformatomicstructure,theyaresolubleinwaterand
alwaysconductelectricitywhendissolved.Theymakegoodinsulatorsandhavehighmelting
andboilingpoints.Metalsalwayswanttoloseelectronsduetotheirsmallnumberofvalence
electrons,andnonmetalsalwaystrytogainelectronsbecauseofthelargenumberof
electronsintheiroutershell.Asaresult,ionicbondsarealwaysformedbetweenmetalsand
nonmetals.

Covalentbondsarecreatedwhenatomsofamoleculeshareatightlyboundpairofelectrons
betweenthesameenergyorbitalstocreateafullvalencesetofeightelectrons.Theseatoms
cansharemorethanonepairofelectrons.Covalentbondsarealwaysformedbetweentwoor
morenonmetalsbecausetheygenerallyhavemoreelectronsintheiroutershell,therefore
wantingtogainelectronsthroughsharing.

Covalentbondingformseitheramorphousorcrystallineshapedsubstances.Thisresultsfrom
theatomsinthemoleculeshavingaverystrongattractiontoeachother,duetothesharingof
apairofelections,buthaveaveryweakattractionbetweentheindividualmolecules.
Becauseofthisweakintermolecularattraction,covalentsubstancescanmeltorboilatroom
temperatureandgenerallytendtobegases,liquids,orsoftsolids.Theyarerelatively
malleable,notconductive,sometimessolubleinwater,andhaveameltingpointoflessthan
300degreesCelsius.


Ceramicsubstancesarecreatedwithioniccompoundsormixturesofioniccompounds.The
uniformarrangementofatomsresultsintheirhighmeltingpoints,strongconductivity,and
beingeasilybroken(brittle).Polymersarecategorizedasbeinglongmolecularchainsof
covalentlybondedatoms.Theirweakintermolecularbondsprovidethemwithlowmelting
pointsandinabilitytoconductelectricity.Metallicsubstancesarentbondedionicallyor
covalently,butthroughanentirelydifferentbondingpatternthatwontbedescribedheredue
toitsirrelevancetotheexperiment.

Results:

Unknowns:

Crystalline
Structure:

Soluble:

Conducts
electricity
when
dissolved:

Melting
Point:

Ionicor
Covalent:

No

No

No

Low

Covalent

Yes

Yes

Yes

Low

Ionic

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Ionic

Yes

Yes

No

Low

Covalent

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Ionic

No

Yes

No

Low

Covalent

Table1:IonicorCovalentProperties

ThefollowingconclusionsweredrawnfromtheresultscollectedinTable1above.UnknownA
isdeterminedtobecovalent.UnknownCandEareionicallybondedbecauseallofthe
performedtestsexhibitedtherespectivepropertiesofeitherionicorcovalentbonding.(This
typeofbondingmeansalowmeltingpointandinsolubleinwaterforUnknownAhighmelting
point,solubleinwaterandconductselectricityforUnknownCandE).UnknownBwas
determinedtobeIonicbecausealthoughitexhibitsalowmeltingpoint(apropertyofcovalent
bonding),itconductselectricityinwaterandhasacrystallinestructure(propertiesofionic
bonding).UnknownDiscovalentbecausealthoughithasacrystallinestructureandissoluble
inwater,itcantconductelectricitywhendissolvedandalsohasalowmeltingpoint.Some
covalentlybondedmoleculesdohavecrystallinestructuresandaresolubleinwater,butthey
stillwontconductelectricitythereforeDiscovalent.UnknownFiscovalentlybonded
becausetheonlyioniccharacteristicithasisitssolubilityinwater.Therestoftheir
characteristicsmatchthatofcovalentbonds,whichisalowmeltingpointandnonconductive
whendissolved.

Reflection:

Throughouttheonlineseminarprocess,Iwasabletocompeloneofmyclassmatestoalter
hisclassificationofUnknownBfromcovalenttoionicallybonded.Thedatashowedthat
UnknownBexhibitedconductivepropertieswhendissolvedinwater,whichmeansthatithad
tobeionicallybondedduetothefactthatcovalentcompoundsdontconductelectricity.The
mostvaluabletestinmakingthedistinctionbetweenionicallyandcovalentlybonded
substanceswasthetestofconductivitywhentheUnknownisdissolvedinwater.Thisis
becausethetwodifferenttypesofbondsinquestioncanexhibitcharacteristicsandproperties
ofeachother,exceptelectricity.Covalentsubstancescantbeconductivewhendissolveddue
totheneutralnatureofthebondedmolecules,makingitthedefinitivetesttodistinguish
betweenthetwo.Becauseionicandcovalentcompoundscansharephysicalpropertiesof
solubilityorcrystallinestructure,thesewerethetwoleastvaluabletestsforidentificationof
thebondingtypes.

ThisonlineseminarmimickedtheprocessthatIenvisionscientistsactuallydoingwiththeir
researchandtheirfindingsbyconductingmultipletestsandthendiscussingopenlywithsome
ofthefindingsbeingcalledintoquestionbasedonotherscientistsconclusionsorresearch.
HoweverIimaginethatinactuality,thisprocessisprobablycarriedoutinpersoninsteadof
overtheinternet.Thiswouldallowforapossibleclaimofcontroversytoberetestedand
evaluated.FromthisonlineseminarIlearnedthatwithinthescientificprocess,youarenever
finisheddiscussing,researching,andreexaminingyourdata.Ialsolearnedthatlisteningto
otherpeoplesopinionsandthoughtprocessescanoftenrevealnewinsightsandrevelations.

Thisonlineseminarprocessdoesntneedtobealteredanyfurthertoenhanceourlearning
aboutchemistryandthenatureofscience.Theopendiscussionwithpeerspertainingtodata
requiresustodrawuponpastlessonstodefendourcategorizationoftheUnknowns.This
processalsoallowsforustoquestioneachotherandaideachotherindrawingconclusions,
justlikethescientificcommunitydoes.Theonlyrecommendedrefinementwouldbeto
allocatemorethanonehourtocompletethediscussionallowingforallaspectsofthelabto
bethoroughlyexamined.