Introduction

  The purpose of this lab is to use a reaction between an unknown metal and an acid to identify the unknown metal. A sample of an unknown metal can be reacted with acid. The hydrogen that is formed can be collected to calculate pressure, volume and temperature. The atomic mass can be determined based on the amount of hydrogen, mass of the unknown metal sample and the three stoichiometric possibilities.

      To determine all of these quantities needed, HCl is reacted with the unknown metal in a flask that is submerged in water. When the unknown metal is reacted with HCl, hydrogen gas is released in a closed container with a known volume and known temperature. Knowing this, the ideal gas law can be applied to figure out the amount of hydrogen released: . Then by knowing the number of moles of hydrogen that is released and the three stoichiometric ratios given, the three atomic masses can be calculated. Once the atomic mass and the physical properties of the unknown metal are found, the metal can be identified using the periodic table.