Tetraphosphorus (P4), commonly known as white phosphorus, forms different compounds with chlorine (Cl2) depending on the amount of chlorine present. If chlorine is limited, phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) is formed. If there is an excess of chlorine, phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5) is formed.
a) Write balanced equations for the two reactions of white phosphorous with chlorine. (I DID THIS ONE ALREADY)
b) Design an experiment that could be performed to verify each synthesis reaction. Include a hypothesis relating to whether PCl3 or PCl5 will be produced, information about the initial masses you would use, and possible problems that might arise.
c) Explain how your experiment will confirm the conservation of matter for each reaction.
d)Based on the ratio of moles of reactants in each case, predict the product of each trial of your experiment (PCl3 or PCl5) using your chosen initial masses. Explain your reasoning, and show any calculations
e)Suppose you choose the initial masses so that both reactions produce PCl3. Explain how both of these chemical reactions obey the law of definite proportions, even though they produce different numbers of moles of the product. Justify your answer with calculations.
Apex sucks dieck lmao
I just needed help, not your opinion if I can do it or not.
Well I figured out the equations, I just have no clue on what to do about the "design an experiment" part
Just out of curiosity DrBob222, are you a even real doctor?
b) To verify the synthesis reactions, you could perform the following experiment:
1. Experiment for PCl3 synthesis:
- Start with a known mass of white phosphorus (P4) and a limited amount of chlorine gas (Cl2) in a reaction vessel.
- Heat the reaction vessel to a specific temperature and allow the reaction to proceed for a set amount of time.
- Collect the product formed, phosphorus trichloride (PCl3), and measure its mass.
- Hypothesis: If there is a limited amount of chlorine gas, then phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) will be produced.
- Initial masses: You would need to measure the mass of the white phosphorus and the amount of chlorine gas used.
- Possible problems: The reaction may not go to completion due to impurities in the reagents or ineffective heating. It is also important to handle white phosphorus with caution as it is toxic and flammable.
2. Experiment for PCl5 synthesis:
- Start with a known mass of white phosphorus (P4) and an excess amount of chlorine gas (Cl2) in a reaction vessel.
- Heat the reaction vessel to a specific temperature and allow the reaction to proceed for a set amount of time.
- Collect the product formed, phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5), and measure its mass.
- Hypothesis: If there is an excess of chlorine gas, then phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5) will be produced.
- Initial masses: You would need to measure the mass of the white phosphorus and the excess chlorine gas used.
- Possible problems: The excess of chlorine gas may result in other side reactions or the incomplete conversion of white phosphorus. Additionally, handling chlorine gas requires caution as it is toxic and corrosive.
c) The experiment will confirm the conservation of matter for each reaction by comparing the mass of the reactants (white phosphorus and chlorine gas) to the mass of the products (phosphorus trichloride or phosphorus pentachloride). According to the law of conservation of matter, the total mass of the reactants should be equal to the total mass of the products if no other substances are introduced or lost during the reaction. Any mass difference observed can be attributed to experimental error or impurities.
d) Based on the ratio of moles of reactants in each case, we can predict the product of each trial of the experiment.
- For PCl3 synthesis: The balanced equation is P4 + 6Cl2 -> 4PCl3. From the equation, we see that 4 moles of PCl3 are produced for every 1 mole of P4 consumed. Therefore, if the initial masses are measured accurately, the molar ratio can be used to calculate the predicted mass of PCl3 produced.
- For PCl5 synthesis: The balanced equation is P4 + 10Cl2 -> 4PCl5. From the equation, we see that 4 moles of PCl5 are produced for every 1 mole of P4 consumed. Similarly to the previous case, the molar ratio allows us to calculate the predicted mass of PCl5 produced if initial masses are measured accurately.
e) If the initial masses are chosen so that both reactions produce PCl3, it means that the amount of chlorine gas is limited for both reactions. The law of definite proportions states that a pure compound is always composed of the same elements in the same proportion by mass. In this case, both reactions will produce PCl3 with the same proportion of phosphorus to chlorine by mass, even though the reactions produce different numbers of moles of the product.
To justify this, you can calculate the mass ratio of phosphorus to chlorine in each product. For example, in both reactions, if 1 mole of PCl3 is produced, it contains 3 moles of chlorine. You can determine the mass of chlorine and phosphorus in each case and compare the ratios. The mass ratios should be the same, confirming that both reactions obey the law of definite proportions.