Chap 1: EXPERIMENTAL CHEMISTRY

I). Measurements:
The study of chemistry requires the measurement of various quantities, such as mass and
volume.
Mass:
The mass of a substance is the amount of matter it contains. Its unit is the gram (g) for
small amounts or the kilogram (kg) for larger amounts. It is measured using a beam
balance or an electronic balance.

Fig 1.1. Beam Balance

Fig 1.2. Electronic balance.

Time:

The S.I unit for time is seconds (s). Other units are minutes (min) and hours (h). A
stopwatch or a stopclock is used to measure time.

Fig 1.3 A digital stopwatch

Temperature:
The S.I unit for temp is Kelvin (K). Another unit is the degree Celsius (C).
Temperature can be measured using a thermometer. The mercury-in-glass and the
alcohol-in-glass thermometers are commonly used in labs, with ranges from -10 to
110C.

Volume:
The volume of a substance is the amount of space it occupies. It is measured in cubic
centimeters (cm), cubic decimeters (dm) or liters (l). There are many lab apparatuses
used for measuring the volume of a fluid.
Some of these are as follows:

Fig 1.4. A beaker is used to measure approximate volumes.

Fig 1.5. A measuring cylinder is accurate to the nearest cm.

Fig 1.6. A burette is accurate to the nearest 0.1 cm. The volume of liquid required is run
off from the bottom through a tap.

Fig 1.7. A pipette measures fixed volumes (25cm, 50cm, 10cm, etc.) very accurately.
II). Collection of Gases:
Speed of Chemical Reactions: In a chemical reaction where a gas is given off, we can
measure the speed of the reaction by recording the volume of gas given off in a certain
time interval, which can be measured using a gas syringe, or by recording the progressive
loss in mass as the gas escapes into the air, which can be measured using a balance.
To collect a gas, the following properties may be taken into consideration:
1. Its density with respect to air.

2.

its solubility in water

If the gas [to be collected] is denser than air, it can be collected using the downward
delivery method, in which the air is displaced upward.

If the gas is lighter than air, it can be collected using the upward deliver method, in which
the air is displaced downward, and the gas is collected in an upside-down container.

For gases that are insoluble or slightly soluble in water, the method of displacement of
water may be used, in which the gas is passed through water into an upside down
container; the gas collects on top and the water gets displaced downwards.