Question

Experiment #1A melting point of an old sample of Naphthalene was completed and a melting range of 77-83 oC was observed and recorded. Complete the following calculations and show your work. 1. From the information and data in the JoVE video, calculate the percent error of the melting point compared to the literature value for the naphthalene sample.2. What does the melting point range and percent error suggest about the sample?

Answer 1

The percent error for the melting point of naphthalene is calculated using the formula and considering the literature value of 80.2°C, yielding an approximate percent error of 0.25%. The broad melting range and low percent error suggest the sample is mostly pure with possible minor impurities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is regarding the calculation of the percent error for the melting point of a sample of naphthalene and what the results suggest about the sample's purity.

Percent Error Calculation

To find the percent error, we use the formula:

Percent Error = (|Experimental Value - Literature Value| / Literature Value) x 100%

Assuming the literature value of naphthalene's melting point is approximately 80.2°C (the value will need to be verified as it can vary slightly in literature), we calculate percent error using the experimental value's mean (80°C, the midpoint of 77-83°C) as follows:

Percent Error = (|80°C - 80.2°C| / 80.2°C) x 100% = (0.2°C / 80.2°C) x 100% ≈ 0.25%

Suggestion About the Sample

The observed melting range of 77-83°C and the low percent error suggest that the sample is relatively pure but may contain minor impurities since a pure sample would have a narrower melting point range close to the literature value.

Answer 2

%error = 0.32%

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's answer both questions, by parts.

1. Percentage error:

In this case, I do not have the video, but I do have the reported melting point of naphtalene which is 80.26 °C.

The expression to calculate the percentage error is the following:

%Error = absolute error / actual percentage. (1)

And the absolute error is:

Abs error = actual value - experimental value (2)

But the experimental value is a range, so we just have to get a average of that:

Exp value = 77 + 83 / 2 = 80 °C

Now the absolute error:

Abs error = 80.26 - 80 = 0.26 °C

Finally the %error:

%error = (0.26 / 80.26) * 100

%error = 0.32%

2. Meaning of melting point range and %error

The melting point range just means that the sample of naphtalene has impurities, and when a sample of any compound has impurities, melting point tends to be low. However, this decrease of temperature is a wider range. But usually a range of just 5° C means that compound has little traces of impurities but it can still be used for reactions.

The %error means that the impurities of the sample are really low, so the sample is practically pure with little traces of impurities.