Student activity sheet Name:_ ______________________________
Activity 2.3
Solubility test
Build your own balance
Procedure
1. Use your masking tape and pen to label five small cups salt, Epsom salt, MSG,
sugar, and unknown. Label five larger clear plastic cups in the same way. You should
have two labeled cups for each type of crystal.
2. Tape the pencil down as shown. Roll two small pieces of
tape so that the sticky side is out. Stick each piece of tape
to the opposite end of the ruler. Place the small empty salt
cup on one piece of tape so that the edge of the cup bottom
is right at the end of the ruler. Place a small unlabeled cup
on the other piece of tape in the same way.
3. Lay the ruler on the pencil
so that it is as balanced as
possible. Use a permanent
marker to make a mark on
the ruler at the point where
it is balanced on the pencil.
This is your balance point.
Don’t worry if you cannot
get the ruler to balance perfectly. If you get the ruler close
to balancing, it will be accurate enough.
4. Carefully place 10 paper clips in the unlabeled cup. Slowly
add salt to the salt cup until the cup with the paper clips
just barely lifts from the table. Remove the salt cup from
the ruler and set it aside.
5. Weigh the other four crystals in the same way so that you have equal amounts of all
five crystals in their small labeled cups.
98 Investigation 2. Physical properties and physical change in solids © 2007 American Chemical Society
Student activity sheet Name:_ ______________________________
Activity 2.3
Solubility test (continued)
Can you identify the unknown crystal by the amount
that dissolves in water?
Use the procedure below to
compare the solubilities of
salt, Epsom salt, MSG, sugar,
and the unknown.
Procedure
1. Place 1 teaspoon of hot
tap water into each empty
clear plastic cup.
2. Match up each pair of cups so that each cup of crystal is near its corresponding cup of
water. With the help of your lab partners, listen for your teacher’s instructions, and
pour the weighed amount of each crystal into its cup of water at the same time.
3. With the help of your lab partners, swirl each cup at the same time and in the same
way as your teacher counts for 20 seconds. When your teacher tells you to stop, com-
pare the amount of crystal left behind in each cup. Listen for your teacher’s instruc-
tions and swirl again for 20 seconds and observe. Swirl again for 20 seconds and
make your final observations.
4. S
lowly and carefully pour the solution
from each clear plastic cup back into its
small empty cup. Try not to let any undis-
solved crystal go into the small cup.
Compare the amount of crystal remaining
in each clear plastic cup.
© 2007 American Chemical Society Investigation 2. Physical properties and physical change in solids 99
Student activity sheet Name:_ ______________________________
Activity 2.3
Solubility test (continued)
Can you identify the unknown crystal by the amount that
dissolves in water?
1. Draw your observations. Try to show the difference in the amount of crystal remain-
ing in each cup.
Salt Epsom salt MSG Sugar Unknown
2. Based on the amount of crystal remaining in each cup, do you have enough informa-
tion to identify the unknown?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Which crystals are probably not the unknown? ______________________________
Explain how your observations lead you to this conclusion.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Based on what you saw in the appearance test, crushing test, and this solubility test,
do you have enough information to identify the unknown? _____________________
With the information you have so far, what might be the identity of the unknown?
______________________________________________________________________
100 Investigation 2. Physical properties and physical change in solids © 2007 American Chemical Society