Effect of Temperature on Solubility of a Salt
Recommended for grades 9–12.
Introduction
In this experiment, you will study the effect of changing temperature on the amount of solute that will dissolve in a given amount of water. Water solubility is an important physical property in chemistry, and is often expressed as the mass of solute that dissolves in 100 g of water at a certain temperature. In this experiment, you will completely dissolve different quantities of potassium nitrate, KNO3, in the same volume of water at a high temperature. As each solution cools, you will monitor temperature using a computer-interfaced Temperature Probe and observe the precise instant that solid crystals start to form. At this moment, the solution is saturated and contains the maximum amount of solute at that temperature. Thus each data pair consists of a solubility value (g of solute per 100 g H2O) and a corresponding temperature. A graph of the temperature-solubility data, known as a solubility curve, will be plotted using the computer.
Objectives
In this experiment, you will
- Study the effect of changing temperature on the amount of solute that will dissolve in a given amount of water.
- Plot a solubility curve.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment requires each of the following Vernier sensors and equipment (unless otherwise noted):
Additional Requirements
You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?
Download Experiment Preview
The student-version preview includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for computer-based data collection
- List of materials and equipment
Note: The experiment preview of the computer edition does not include essential teacher information, safety tips, or sample data. Instructions for Logger Pro and other software (such as LabQuest App or TI handheld software, where available) are on the CD that accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you purchase the book before performing experiments.
Standards Correlations
Included in the Lab Book
Vernier lab books include a CD with word-processing files of the student instructions, essential teacher information, suggested answers, sample data and graphs, and more.