During your experiment, you are drive water from the hydrate M x X y ⋅zH 2 O . You subsequently determine that your hydrate has four molecules of waters associated with each formula unit. However, the bottle the hydrate came from indicated a formula with only six molecules of water. What went "wrong" in your experiment?
The bottle was previously opeedn, thus altering the water content. This is because hydrates do not keep their stoichiometric ratio of cations and anions to water molecules. Hope this helps.
In your experiment, it appears that there was an error in the determination of the number of water molecules associated with the hydrate. Hydrates are compounds that contain water molecules in a fixed ratio with the main compound. The general formula for a hydrate is M x X y · zH 2 O, where M represents the main compound, X represents any other ions present, and z represents the number of water molecules associated with each formula unit.
Given that the bottle indicated a formula with six molecules of water (6H2O), but you determined that your hydrate has four molecules of water associated with each formula unit (4H2O), there are a couple of possibilities for what might have gone wrong in your experiment:
1. Incorrect measurement: It is possible that during the experiment, there was an error in measuring or calculating the amount of water associated with the hydrate. This could have resulted in an inaccurate determination of the number of water molecules.
2. Impure sample: Another possibility is that the hydrate you used for the experiment was not pure. Hydrates can lose their water molecules if exposed to certain conditions, such as high temperature or low humidity. If the hydrate was not properly sealed or stored, it could have lost water molecules, resulting in a lower number than expected.
To identify which of these factors might have contributed to the discrepancy, you can recheck your experimental procedure and calculations for any errors. Additionally, you can consider confirming the purity of the hydrate by subjecting it to known conditions (such as heating) to determine its behavior and compare it with the expected results.
Remember, attention to detail, accurate measurements, and thorough sample handling are crucial in experiments involving hydrates to avoid such discrepancies.