Hydrated Salts (AQA AS Chemistry): Revision Note
Exam code: 7404
Water of Crystallisation
Water of crystallisation is when some compounds can form crystals which have water as part of their structure
A compound that contains water of crystallisation is called a hydrated compound
The water of crystallisation is separated from the main formula by a dot when writing the chemical formula of hydrated compounds
E.g. hydrated copper(II) sulfate is CuSO4∙5H2O
A compound which doesn’t contain water of crystallisation is called an anhydrous compound
E.g. anhydrous copper(II) sulfate is CuSO4
A compound can be hydrated to different degrees
E.g. cobalt(II) chloride can be hydrated by six or two water molecules
CoCl2 ∙6H2O or CoCl2 ∙2H2O
The conversion of anhydrous compounds to hydrated compounds is reversible by heating the hydrated salt:
Hydrated: CuSO4•5H2O ⇌ CuSO4 + 5H2O :Anhydrous
The degree of hydration can be calculated from experimental results:
The mass of the hydrated salt must be measured before heating
The salt is then heated until it reaches a constant mass
The two mass values can be used to calculate the number of moles of water in the hydrated salt - known as the water of crystallisation
Worked Example
Calculating water of crystallisation
11.25 g of hydrated copper sulfate, CuSO4.xH2O, is heated until a constant mass of 7.19 g.
Calculate the formula of the hydrated copper(II) sulfate.
Ar (Cu) = 63.5 Ar (S) = 3. Ar (O) = 16 Ar (H) = 1
Answer:
1. Salt and water | CuSO4 | H2O |
2. Value | 7.19 | 11.25 - 7.19 |
3. Mr | 63.5 + 32 + (16 x 4) | (1 x 2) + 16 |
4. Moles = |
|
|
5. Salt : water ratio |
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|
6. Formula of hydrated salt | The formula is CuSO4•5H2O |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A water of crystallisation calculation can be completed in a similar fashion to an empirical formula calculation
Instead of elements, you start with the salt and water
Instead of dividing by atomic masses, you divide by molecular / formula masses
The rest of the calculation works the same way as the empirical formula calculation
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