Lauric Acid Lab Report
Lloyd
Term 2, 2014
Lauric Acid Experiment
Teacher: Mr Oliver
Contents
1.0 Introduction
Elements and the compounds can exist in distinctive physical states. Liquid, solid, gas and plasma. Every element and compound has a distinctive melting and boiling point. When a substance reaches its melting and boiling point it will change phase. For example the molecules in a solid being heated gain energy and eventually are able to not only vibrate but rotate. This means the molecules have now changed phase to a liquid. Lauric acid is a fatty acid that exists as a solid at room temperature. It has a melting and freezing point of 43.20Celsius. The molecular structure of lauric acid is C12H24O2. …show more content…
From the data collected in Part A it can be determined that lauric acid melts at 470 Celsius. Does the temperature of a substance vary while it is melting or freezing? Explain It can be inferred from the data collected that the temperature of a substance varies while it is melting and freezing. The results collected show this because both graph Part A and Part B have a gradient.
Using the data from Part B, determine the freezing point of lauric acid. From the data collected in Part B it can be determined that lauric acid freezes at 400 Celsius.
Does lauric acid melt and freeze at the same temperature? According to the results lauric acid does not freeze and melt at the same temperature.
Explain the shape of the curves in terms of the energy changes that are occurring in the sample as it heats up and melts and as it cools down and freezes. The curves of the graph relate to the phases the lauric acid is going through. At the start of graph Part A the line is increasing. The energy being put into the lauric acid is directly changing the temperature of the acid. After two minutes however the line goes horizontal. This is the part of the graph where the energy being put into the acid is not changing the temperature but changing the phase. In Graph Part A this is from a solid to a …show more content…
An increase of lauric acid would mean that the curves of the graph would be have less gradient because a greater volume of lauric acid would take a longer period of time to change phase. The horizontal section of section of the graph would also be longer because more energy would be required for the lauric acid to change from a liquid to a solid and solid to a liquid.
Explain in your own words what is going on at the molecular level as liquid lauric acid cools and freeze. As liquid lauric acid cools and eventually freezes the molecules of lauric acid are losing their heat to the surrounding water bath. When the lauric acid molecules eventually lose enough heat energy the attractive forces between them pulls them together and they form a crystalline structure. The molecules are unable to move because they do not have enough energy to break away from the solid lauric
Term 2, 2014
Lauric Acid Experiment
Teacher: Mr Oliver
Contents
1.0 Introduction
Elements and the compounds can exist in distinctive physical states. Liquid, solid, gas and plasma. Every element and compound has a distinctive melting and boiling point. When a substance reaches its melting and boiling point it will change phase. For example the molecules in a solid being heated gain energy and eventually are able to not only vibrate but rotate. This means the molecules have now changed phase to a liquid. Lauric acid is a fatty acid that exists as a solid at room temperature. It has a melting and freezing point of 43.20Celsius. The molecular structure of lauric acid is C12H24O2. …show more content…
From the data collected in Part A it can be determined that lauric acid melts at 470 Celsius. Does the temperature of a substance vary while it is melting or freezing? Explain It can be inferred from the data collected that the temperature of a substance varies while it is melting and freezing. The results collected show this because both graph Part A and Part B have a gradient.
Using the data from Part B, determine the freezing point of lauric acid. From the data collected in Part B it can be determined that lauric acid freezes at 400 Celsius.
Does lauric acid melt and freeze at the same temperature? According to the results lauric acid does not freeze and melt at the same temperature.
Explain the shape of the curves in terms of the energy changes that are occurring in the sample as it heats up and melts and as it cools down and freezes. The curves of the graph relate to the phases the lauric acid is going through. At the start of graph Part A the line is increasing. The energy being put into the lauric acid is directly changing the temperature of the acid. After two minutes however the line goes horizontal. This is the part of the graph where the energy being put into the acid is not changing the temperature but changing the phase. In Graph Part A this is from a solid to a …show more content…
An increase of lauric acid would mean that the curves of the graph would be have less gradient because a greater volume of lauric acid would take a longer period of time to change phase. The horizontal section of section of the graph would also be longer because more energy would be required for the lauric acid to change from a liquid to a solid and solid to a liquid.
Explain in your own words what is going on at the molecular level as liquid lauric acid cools and freeze. As liquid lauric acid cools and eventually freezes the molecules of lauric acid are losing their heat to the surrounding water bath. When the lauric acid molecules eventually lose enough heat energy the attractive forces between them pulls them together and they form a crystalline structure. The molecules are unable to move because they do not have enough energy to break away from the solid lauric