if some volatile impurities in the crucible are not burned off in step 1 but are removed in step 4 is the reported percent mass of water in the hydrated salt too high or too low?
If some volatile impurities in the crucible are not burned ofT in step I but are renmoved in step l, is the reported percent mass of water in the hydrated salt too high or too low? Explain
too high
If some volatile impurities in the crucible are not burned off in step 1 but are removed in step 4, the reported percent mass of water in the hydrated salt would be too high. This is because the volatile impurities, such as moisture or other volatile substances, contribute to the mass that is measured in step 1. If these impurities are not completely burned off, they will still be present in the crucible when the mass of the hydrated salt is measured in step 2. As a result, the measured mass of the crucible and hydrated salt will include the mass of the impurities, leading to an overestimation of the percent mass of water in the hydrated salt. However, when the impurities are finally removed in step 4, the measured mass of the crucible and anhydrous salt will be lower, further exaggerating the overestimation of the percent mass of water.
To determine whether the reported percent mass of water in the hydrated salt is too high or too low in this scenario, let's break down the information provided:
Step 1: Some volatile impurities in the crucible are not burned off.
Step 4: These impurities are removed.
Since the volatile impurities are present in the crucible during step 1 but are then removed in step 4, this means that they are not part of the final measurement when determining the percent mass of water in the hydrated salt. Therefore, if the impurities are not burned off in step 1 but are completely removed in step 4, the reported percent mass of water in the hydrated salt would be too high.
This is because the impurities add mass to the initial measurement but are not part of the actual water content of the hydrated salt. Thus, their presence would artificially increase the reported percent mass of water.