Properties of Water
Lab Exercise
Introduction: Water is a simple molecule, yet it’s the most vital to all living things. Unique properties of water enable it to carry out
functions that no other substances can. In a neutral aqueous solution, five molecules of water can be seen bonded together by weak
hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, due to the negativity of oxygen in the molecule and a slight positive charge to the hydrogen atom,
water is a polar molecule. Due to its polarity, water is classified as the universal solvent. You will investigate these major properties
of water and others throughout this lab.
Part One: Polarity
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On your Properties of Water lab cornell notes, draw and label the diagram based on the reading from page 40 in your
textbook. Make sure you label the oxygen, hydrogen (2), and polar charges. Use colors!!!
Solutions, Solvents and solutes
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Put 80ml of H2O into your beaker
Bring the beaker to my counter and et a filter paper with 10g of NaCl
Dissolve 10g of NaCl in a beaker of water. Stir until it is completely dissolved.
Time how long it takes to dissolve completely
Record the following questions in your cornell notes
Use section 2.2 page 40 in your text to help you answer them as you do the lab
How long did it take the salt to dissolve?
What is the solvent in this demonstration?
What is the solute in this demonstration?
What is the resulting solution in this demonstration?
How does polarity affect the water molecule?
Part Two: Hydrogen Bonding, Expansion on Freezing, Specific Heat, Evaporative Cooling
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See me to get the temperature probe, and your Styrofoam cup with water
Record the temperature reading before dipping the probe into the styrofoam cup of H 2O
Dip your temperature probe into the Styrofoam cup of room temperature water
Fold a piece of paper into a fourths
Take the probe out of the water
Gently fan the probe with the paper
Record the following questions in your cornell notes
Use section 2.2 page 40 in your text to help you answer them as you do the lab
What happened to the temperature?
Describe how this property is important to your body on a hot day?
Part two: Adhesion, Cohesion, Surface Tension, Capillary Action
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Water forms very cohesive bonds that can sometimes defy gravity. In this demonstration, you will predict how many
drops of water will fit on a penny before it spills over and repeat. Repeat the experiment again with your sodium chloride
solution.
Use the water from your Styrofoam cup and the pipette for the plain water trial
Use the NaCl water from the beakers on my lab counter your beaker for the NaCl trial
Use care in placing the drops in order to get the maximum output.
Record the following data table in your cornell notes
Use section 2.2 page 40 in your text to help you answer them as you do the lab
Plain water
Predicted Drops =
Actual Drops =
Plain water
Predicted Drops =
Actual Drops =
NaCl Water
NaCl Water
Record the following questions in your cornell notes
Use section 2.2 page 40 in your text to help you answer them as you do the lab
What part of the above investigation showed adhesion?
What part of the above investigation showed Cohesi?
Predicted Drops =
Actual Drops =
Predicted Drops =
Actual Drops =