MHS Chemistry
Boiling Point Lab

Purpose
To examine the warming/boiling behavior of a common liquid.

Procedure

  1. Read all of these directions before beginning.
  2. Assemble the heating apparatus as demonstrated by your instructor.
  3. Place about 150 – 200 mL of the liquid in the beaker, and record it's temperature.
  4. Begin heating the liquid over a bunsen burner. Record the temperature every thirty seconds.
  5. After the liquid has been boiling for 5 minutes, shut off the burner.
  6. Continue to record the temperature every thirty seconds for 10 minutes.
Analysis
  1. Make a graph with time on the x-axis and temperature on the y-axis. Use the whole page, and make sure the scales stretch only to include your numbers. Plot all of your data on this graph.
  2. Based on your graph, what was the boiling point of your liquid?
  3. If you used ____________________ instead of the liquid you used, how would your results differ?
  4. If you used twice as much of the liquid as you did, how would your results differ?
  5. Explain why there is a level spot on your graph. Describe what happened in terms of kinetic and potential energy, and phase changes. Refer to your textbook.
  6. What was in the bubbles you observed?  Explain your answer clearly.
  7. [Bonus] Based on your data, how long after you shut off the bunsen burner would the temperature return to the starting point? Back up your answer with calculations.
Reminders [Boiling Point Lab score sheet][Chapter 2 notes][MHS Chem main page]