Household Chemistry LAB
Identification and Analysis
Name: _______________________________
IA. Color and Odor of Powders A-D
POWDER
COLOR
ODOR
A
B
C
D
Why is it difficult to identify the powders based on their color and odor?
______________________________________________________________________
IB. Color and Odor of Indicator Solutions I-III
INDICATOR
COLOR
ODOR
I
II
III
List any of the above powders or indicator solutions that you recognize:
_____________________________________________________________________
II. Single Powder Properties: (R or NR) These will serve as “Controls”.
Indicator/Powder
I
II
III
Description
of
Reaction
A
B
C
D
III. Identification of Two-Powder Mixtures: (R or NR)
Q: What are the possible identities of the two-powder mixtures:
_____
_____
Indicator/Mixture
_____
1
_____
2
_____
3
_____
4
5
6
I
II
III
Identification
of
Mixture
IV. Identification of Three-Powder Mixtures: (R or NR)
Q: What are the possible identities of the three-powder mixtures:
_______
Indicator/Mixture
I
II
III
Identification
of
Mixture
_______
7
_______
8
_______
9
10
Household Chemistry
Identification and Analysis of Mixtures
Objective:
To be able to identify common household chemicals and mixtures based on physical
and chemical properties.
Materials:
Spot plate
Powders A-D
Three-powder mixtures 7-10
Indicator solutions I, II, III
Two-powder mixtures 1-6
Introduction:
Some chemicals can be identified by observing their color, odor, and how they
react with other chemicals. A Positive Control is a reaction that produces an observable
change when two reactants are combined. By recording the observations of known
combinations of reactants, unknown mixtures can be identified.
In this experiment, you will use household chemicals (powders A-D) and liquid
indicators (I-III) to perform a series of tests. Look for color changes and/or production of
gas bubbles. A “no reaction” (NR) observation is as important as a “reaction” (R).
After you have established the tests that identify or indicate a difference between
the powders A, B, C, and D, you will be able to analyze unknown mixtures of these
powders. You will be told whether the mixtures are two-powder mixtures (1-6) or threepowder mixtures (7-10). Sometimes you will be able to make fairly certain predictions
about the composition of a mixture. In other cases it may be impossible to be certain of
the composition. In these cases, you should offer a best guess as to the possible
composition.
Procedure:
1. Record the color and odor of the four powders A-D.
2. Record the color and odor of the three indicator solutions I-III
3. Using a spot plate, combine each of the four powders A-D individually with each of
the three indicator solutions. Record “R” for reaction, or “NR” for no reaction. Make a
description of each reaction (gas produced, color changed, etc.).
It is important to have accurate results before proceeding to the next step!!
4. Make a list of all of the possible two-powder combinations of A, B, C, D. Record
above the data chart for two-powder mixtures.
5. React each of the unknown two-powder mixtures 1-6 with each of the indicator
solutions I-III. Record an “R” for reaction or an “NR” for no reaction. Record the
identity of each mixture in the bottom row of the chart.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 with the three-powder mixtures. Record the identity of each mixture
in the bottom row of the chart. **Be sure to make a guess if the identity of the mixture
is not able to be determined**