Magnesium Lab! :) -Haleigh Meier

Magnesium Lab

Materials needed:

• Bunsen Burner
• Clay Triangle
• Ring Stand
• Crucible
• Magnesium
• Scale
• Battery
• Cables
• Christmas lights
• Tongs

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Safety:

ALWAYS wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from getting anything harmful into your eyes. Be careful using the magnesium! Use the tongs...they are your friend, they are there to help you. The UV rays the magnesium emits can seriously damage your eyes, so DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE MAGNESIUM WHEN LIT!!!!

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Procedure:

Have your materials all together, and have it all set up. Use the scale to find the mass of your crucible. Zero the scale, then put down one strip at a time on the scale until it shows a number. Keep the mass of the magnesium you use between .1g-.3g. Roll the magnesium into a very loose ball, and put in the crucible. You need to then put the crucible on the clay triangle that is on the ring stand over the bunsen burner. Have the flame on the bunsen burner barely touching the crucible so the magnesium will ignite. Put the lid on the crucible and wait a couple minutes. if the magnesium doesn't light after a few minutes, take the lid off the crucible and wait a couple more minutes. If you are still having problems with it igniting after that, then using tongs/tweezers, take out one of the strips of magnesium, and put it right in the flame. As soon as you put it directly in the flame, you need to immediately put it back in the crucible. This is where you definitely do not want to look directly at the magnesium. Try to look out of the corner of your eyes if you can! When it is done burning, you will use the tongs, and grab the crucible (don't touch with hands, it is still hot) and mass the crucible with whatever is left of the magnesium inside. After massing the crucible with contents, put distilled water in the crucible with the left over magnesium, and stir. You now get to find out if it will conduct electricity! Put a circuit connected to a little strand of Christmas lights, and connect that to the batteries. If the lights come on, even if it is a low light, you will know your magnesium can conduct electricity. If it does not conduct electricity, however, then you may have done something wrong.

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Book Questions:

1) Use the masses in the table to calculate the mass of the magnesium ribbon and the mass of the magnesium product. Record these masses in the table.

Before: .10g

After: .10g

2) What kind of energy was released by the reaction? What can you conclude about the product of this reaction?

This reaction created electric energy. Because the Christmas lights lit up when we used the cables and the batteries, it proves there was electronegativity.

3) How do you know that the magnesium metal reacts with certain components of the air?

Because when it ignited, it had a change of color, and gave off heat.

4) Magnesium reacts with both oxygen and nitrogen from the air at the high temperature of the crucible. Predict the binary formulas for both products. Write the names of these two compounds.

MgO and Mg^5N^2

5)The product formed from magnesium and oxygen is white, and the product formed from magnesium and nitrogen is yellow. From your observations, which compound makes up most of the product?

Oxygen makes up most of the product. We know this because it first burned yellow, only to change to a white color.

6) Did the magnesium compounds and water conduct an electric current? Do the results indicate whether or not the compounds are ionic?

Yes, they conducted an electric current. The compound is ionic.

7)If the magnesium loses mass instead of gaining mass, what do you think was a possible source of the error?

With my group, we didn't have a change in mass, so we probably didn't do it exactly right.

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1)The magnesium ion plays an important role in a person's biochemistry. Research the role of this electrolyte in your physical and mental health. Is magnesium listed as a component in a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet?

Approximately 50% or total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but levels stay constant. Magnesium(Mg2+) is also an electrolyte supplement that helps with my heart condition, Neurocardiogenic Syncope.

2) Research the use of Mg(OH)2 in every day products. What is Mg(OH)2 commonly called in over-the-counter drugs?

milk of magnesia