Jonathan Khan October 16, 2010

Ms. Crowley Formula Stoichiometry Lab (Tin Oxide)

Data Table Calculations

Mass of Tin: 31.87g - 30.83g = 1.04g
Mass of empty 30.83 g
crucible and top Mass of Tin Oxide: 32.19g - 30.38g = 1.36g

Mass of Oxygen: 32.19g - 31.87g = 0.32g

Mass of crucible 31.87g
and top + Tin Moles of Tin: 1.04g / 118.71g = .0087608458 moles

Moles of Oxygen: .032g / 16.00g = .02 moles

Mass of crucible 32.19g
and top + tin Mole Ratio (O/Sn): .02 moles / .0087608458 = 2.282884615
oxide after
reaction Empirical formula of Tin Oxide SnO2

2. In this experiment, tin is oxidized to tin nitrate by the concentrated nitric acid of in the first stage,

with the release of brown nitrogen dioxide gas. Then in the last stage, the tin nitrate is

decomposed thermally onto tin oxide and more nitrogen dioxide and some oxygen. Write

balanced equations for these reactions using an accepted formula for tin oxide that is close to the

result that you got in B-1 above.

a. Sn + 6HNO3 Sn(NO3)4 + 2NO2 + 3H2 + O2 + Heat

b. Sn(NO3)4 + Heat SnO2 + 4NO2 + O2

3. The precision of these two results is imprecise based on the fact that this reaction was run only

one time in our group. Based on this face, there are no other numbers to compare our

measurements with, thus resulting in a value which could be imprecise. An approximate value

for the percentage of error in our experiment can be determined by comparing mole ratios for tin

oxide that we calculated, to the accepted mole ratio. {(2.282884651 – 2.000) / (2.000)} x {100}

= 14.14423077. 14.14% error.

4. A possible source of error which may have occurred caused our results to show more oxygen

than the accepted formula is that the mass of tin oxide that was calculated was not the mass of tin

oxide alone. Rather a mass of tin oxide, and some of the excess nitric acid that had not been

completely evaporated. On the other hand, a possible source of error which may have caused our

results to account for less oxygen than the accepted value would be that when adding the nitric

acid to the tin, enough of the acid was not added to the tin to have a complete reaction of tin into

tin nitrate.

Procedure

1. Intensely heat, cool and mass one crucible and cover.

2. Add approximately one gram of tin metal and re mass the crucible

3. Pour ten to fifteen mL of concentrated nitric acid into a small graduated cylinder

4. Working in the fume hood, slowly pour the nitric acid into the crucible containing the tin. An

orange colored smoke should be seen escaping.

a. Once the initial reaction has finished, carefully add small amounts of the add until no

more smoke leaves the container

5. Remove the crucible from the fume hood, and place it over a Bunsen burner.

6. Slowly heat the crucible containing the acid and tin until the acid has evaporated

7. Once the material inside of the crucible has dried, (it should be tin nitrate), increase the heat to

thermally decompose the tin nitrate into tin oxide.

8. Allow the crucible to cool, and then re mass.