Lab Problem #3: Limestone, Seashells, Egg Shells and Hard Water

Introduction:
The main goal for this experiment is to establish a method to find Calcium carbonate (CaCO 3).
Safety must be identified and addressed for the experiment such as wearing goggles, gloves, apron; use
any substances with caution and all waste may go down the drain. Any use of equipment must be properly
handled by the user. Replication of trials must occur to verify results. The ingredients within the
experiment are Calcium chloride (CaCl2), Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), Water (H2O), and Carbon Dioxide
(CO2).The form of Calcium carbonate is solid, the form of Sodium carbonate is liquid, the form of
Calcium chloride is liquid, and the form of Carbon Dioxide is a gas. The available equipment are the
beakers, filter paper, hotplate, litmus paper, analytical balance, beral pipette, funnel, Erlenmeyer flask,
scoopula, Bunsen burner, and graduated cylinders. The technique to discovering Calcium carbonate will
be the combination of gases, which are CaCl2 and Na2CO3. There will be two methods that will be
proposed to find Calcium carbonate. One method is the combination of Sodium carbonate and Calcium
chloride reacting together, then filtering the reactants to produce Calcium carbonate as a solid. The second
method is to use the product from the reactants and expose it over the flame to see if the color of the
flame changes.
Questions:
The unknown substance is produced by Calcium chloride (l) and Sodium carbonate (l). If
Calcium chloride and Sodium carbonate were combined, will Calcium carbonate be formed? If the
unknown element is over a flame, which would be a Bunsen burner, will the flame change colors? If the
flame changes colors, will it verify that it is Calcium carbonate?
Procedure:
Method 1:
The lab experiment was started was by obtaining Calcium chloride (l) and Sodium carbonate (l)
in separate graduated cylinders. The solutions were measured into each graduated cylinder at 6 milliliters.
Before initiating the experiment, filter paper was obtained and measured. The mass of the first filter with
no element present was 1.395g. The mass of the second filter was .721g. After weighing the filters, a
funnel was inserted in an Erlenmeyer flask so that the reactants will go inside the flask. The reactants
were mixed and were observed. The first filter was being used for the first trial. The product that began to
form started to produce a white, grayish solid. While the reaction was occurring, the hotplate was being
heated to 200 degrees Celsius. The purpose of the hotplate was that the heat would filter out the liquid and
sort out the Calcium carbonate onto the filter. When the liquid evaporated and dried the Calcium
carbonate, the first filter with the Calcium carbonate was weighed. The mass of the first filter with the
Calcium carbonate was 2.238 g. The mass of the second filter with the Calcium carbonate was 1.187 g.
Each filter was an independent trial, therefore, there was two trials in the outcome. The mass of the first
resulting Calcium carbonate was .843 g. The second mass of the Calcium carbonate was .466 g. All
observations during the method was recorded.
Method 2:
This method of the lab experiment was initiated by obtaining a Bunsen burner and the Calcium
carbonate (s) that was produced. The Bunsen burner was started and a scoopula was used to pick up the
Calcium carbonate. Once the flame was ready to use, the scoopula with the Calcium carbonate was over
the flame and changed colors. The color of the flame was orange, reddish. The length of the flame around
the Calcium carbonate produced some growth. After the first trial, a replication of the trial occurred and
any observations was recorded.
Results:
Method 1:
Trial 1: The result of this trial was positive, since Calcium carbonate was formed from the
combination of Calcium chloride and Sodium carbonate. Calcium carbonate appeared on the surface of

the filter. The physical properties it appeared was that it formed as little white powder or chunks of
powder.
Trial 2: Similar to the first trial, the trial was positive. It formed Calcium carbonate as little
chunks of white, grayish powder. By putting the reactants through the filter twice, we obtained as much
Calcium carbonate as the reactants produced.
Method 2:
Trial 1: The result of the first trial was positive due to the change of color on the Bunsen burner.
The flame turned to an orange, reddish color around the Calcium carbonate. After taking the unknown
element away from the flame, the color of the flame returned back to a blue color. This verified that
Calcium carbonate was the unknown element and was present during the flame test.
Trial 2: In comparison with the first trial, the result was positive. Calcium carbonate was present
since the color of the flame changed and there was no obvious contamination on the substance. Calcium
carbonate usually forms as a solid and both reactants were liquid. Thus the solid form of Calcium
carbonate over the flame produced a thermal decomposition reaction. (1)
Discussion:
The stoichiometry of the reaction of Calcium chloride and Sodium carbonate proves that Calcium
carbonate is present. The presence of the substance forming as a solid in a white, grayish form indicates
that Calcium carbonate became a product.
Na2CO3 + CaCl2 CaCO3 + 2NaCl
The salt-like texture of the substance on the filter when it is dried implies that Calcium carbonate with
Sodium chloride was formed through the reaction. One reason to believe that Calcium carbonate was
formed was that the reactants were in liquid form; therefore, during the reaction, the combination of the
reactants produced Calcium carbonate in solid form. Another reason, Calcium carbonate is not very
soluble in water, unless, it is in diluted water with Carbon dioxide; thus, Calcium carbonate forms in little
white powder or chunks after a reaction. (3) These results relate to the hypothesis by claiming that the
combination of Sodium carbonate and Calcium chloride produce Calcium carbonate with Sodium
chloride.
The thermal decomposition reaction of Calcium carbonate produced a physical reaction by
changing the color of the flame. The color of the flame produced an orange, reddish color, thus, verifying
that Calcium carbonate was present. After igniting the Calcium carbonate and pulling it away from the
flame, the flame itself returns back to a blue color. This indicates that the flame change was not by
accident nor by coincidence.
Limitations of Design:
The measurements of each solution was not weighed after being measured at six milliliters. Every
aspect of the lab experiment occurred at the same location and time. Substantial amounts of trials for each
method was not recorded. Only two methods occurred for the lab experiment; more trials could have
occurred to verify the results. For the first trial within the first method, there were two filters stuck
together; this error resulted in an inaccurate weight for the mass of the filter. There could have been more
methods to produce Calcium carbonate. A major component that could have hindered the experiment is
that there could have been a presence of contamination within the equipment.
Connections to Other Knowledge:
Calcium carbonate is the carbonic salt of Calcium; it is used as a supplement to treat and prevent
osteoporosis. (4) The Calcium carbonate is an odorless substance and appears white, grayish. This claim
agrees with my results and the physical properties. Calcium carbonate usually forms as a white, grayish
solid that is insoluble in water. Generally, Calcium carbonate has a low solubility in pure water, however,
it can increase water that is saturated in Carbon dioxide (CO 2). In mineral form, Calcium carbonate is a
major component of limestone, in which can be in a crystalline form known as Calcite. (2)
Works Cited:

1. Nuffield Foundation. Practical Chemistry page: Thermal Decomposition of Calcium Carbonate.

[Online] http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/practical-chemistry/thermal-decomposition-calciumcarbonate/ (accessed on 11/3/2015).
2. Science Learning Sparking Fresh Thinking. Carbonate Chemistry: Calcium Carbonate- mineral
forms. [Online] http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/A-Fizzy-Rock/Science-Ideas-andConcepts/Carbonate-chemistry/ (accessed on 11/2/2015).
3. ChemSpider Search and Share Chemistry. Chemical Structure page: Calcium Carbonate. [Online]
http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.9708.html/ (accessed on 11/3/2015).
4. PubChem National Center for Biotechnology Information. Compound Summary for CID 1102
page: Calcium Carbonate. [Online]
http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/calcium_carbonate#section=Top/ (accessed on
11/2/2015).