Gravimetric determination of water in hydrated magnesium chloride

Aim: To calculate the value of n in MgCl2.nH2O Theory: Gravimetric analysis is where the amount of a specific chemical in a material is determined by converting it to a product which can be isolated completely and weighed. This is relevant to this experiment as the amount of water is an unknown value which is to be found by carrying out the analysis. Heating to constant mass is when repeated heating, cooling then …

…a reading as possible for the mass of water evaporated. The crucible was cooled before weighing so it could be transferred to the desiccator without burning your hands. The value of n calculated in the experiment and the true value of n are different due to errors in the experiment such as the transferring of materials could cause a different loss each time. Conclusion: The value 'n' is 5 hence the formula is MgCl2.5H2O