Carlos Gonzalez 11/5/12 P.2 Mr.

Larkin

Ionic Vs. Covalent Bonding Lab Investigation

Introduction Most atoms are never found by themselves; instead they are bonded either ionically or covalently. The bonds are formed to make a compound that has an octet or a full shell of 8 valence electrons. This occurs by either transferring or sharing electrons. In an ionic bond the compound turns into a crystal with a lattice structure and conducts electricity when it dissociates but takes a very high temperature in order for it to melt because the cations and anions have such a strong attractions it is harder for the compound to break down. A covalent bond turns into a molecule and does not conduct electricity and takes a warm temperature for it to melt. Hypothesis Table 1 the expected results of types of bonding the different chemicals
Compounds Chemical to be Tested Formula Distilled Water Sodium Chloride Sucrose Dextrose Sodium Sulfate Hypothesis 1: Ionic or Covalent Covalent Ionic Covalent Covalent Ionic Hypothesis 2: High or Low Melting Point? Low High High Low High Hypothesis 3: Will it conduct electricity? No With water No No With water

H20
NaCl C12H22011 C6H12O6 NaSO4

Procedures: Part I: Melting point and strength of bonds. 1: Fold a piece of aluminum foil into a square so it will fit on the stand. Place a small amount of the 4 compounds on your foil. Try not to mix them and keep track of them. 2: Place the piece of foil with the compounds on the ring on top of the Bunsen burner and let it sit there no longer than 1-2 minutes. 3: Start writing observations, keep track of the order on which compound melts or doesnt melt 4: Allow for the foil to cool off and wash the compounds off. Part II. Electrical conductivity

1: Put a small amount of each compound into different wells on the well plate. 2.Test the compounds with a conductivity tester in a dry form of matter and record your observations 3: Add a couple of drops of water into each compound to dissolve it . 4: Test the compounds if it conducts electricity with the tester and then record your observations. Make sure to wash the tester every time after your done . 5: Repeat for every sample. Table 2 Table 2 the outcome of the experiment Name/Chemical Formula: Part I: Melting Point (1-5;High, Med, or Low?)
Distilled Water/ H20 Sodium Chloride/ NaCl Sucrose/ C12H22011 Dextrose/ C6H12O6 Sodium Sulfate/ NaSO4

Part II: Conducted Electricity? (Yes/No) Dry Dissolved N/A No No No No No Yes No No Yes

Final Conclusion: Ionic or covalent

1=Low 5=High 3=Medium 2= Low/Medium 4= High/Medium

Covalent Ionic Covalent Covalent Ionic

Conclusion After this laboratory, it was concluded that sodium chloride and sodium sulfate were ionic compounds, while distilled water, sucrose, and dextrose were covalent compounds. My hypotheses were correct. From the results, the ionic compounds were the ones that conducted electricity in water and had high melting points. However the covalent compounds didnt conduct electricity out of water and had low melting points. Ionic bonds are formed from metal cations and non-metal anions so when they dissolve in water, electricity can flow through the solution. Additionally ionic bonds are very strong since they are in a lattice structure so the cat ions and anions are attracted to each other because of the electrostatic force. This causes the crystals to have a high melting point. Covalent bonds have a neutral charge since they share electrons. When

the covalent bond dissolves in water it doesnt conduct electricity. The covalent bonds are very weak since it is a molecule. The electrons repel each other because of the electromagnetic force and it has a low melting point since the electrons are in a random order.