Experiments and Errors

Teaching science skills 14–16 years
Available from rsc.li/3YCK0pG
Practical planning: spot the mistakes
Learning objectives
1. Identify the mistakes in methods for planned practical experiments.
2. Explain why the mistakes you have found would not lead to a valid outcome.
3. Select the appropriate equipment needed to carry out a given investigation.
4. Plan a method that would lead to a valid outcome.
Introduction
These exam-style questions will check your understanding of experimental skills and
strategies. In your answers, you will evaluate the methods described, make
suggestions for improvements, select the appropriate apparatus and plan
experiments. All of these are fundamental parts of working scientifically. The
questions are based on chromatography, making salts and neutralisation.
Questions
Chromatography
A student was investigating the pigments in different leaves (1, 2 and 3). The
pigments are insoluble in water but soluble in ethanol.
This is the method they used:
1. Leaf 1 was crushed using a pestle and mortar.
2. Ethanol was added using a pipette.
3. The mixture was filtered.
4. Spots of the filtrate were put on to the chromatography paper.
5. Steps 1–4 were repeated with leaves 2 and 3.
On the next page, there is a diagram of the apparatus the student used.
© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

The student made two mistakes when this apparatus was set up.
1.
(a) Name the mistakes and give one issue caused by each mistake.
HINT: look carefully at the diagram and think about solubilities.
Mistake Issue caused
Ink is soluble in water , which will lead

1. The start line is drawn with ink , it to ink dissolving , making the
should be drawn with a pencil experiment not accurate.
2.
The pigments are insoluble in water so

The solvent used is water instead of they wouldn’t dissolve and stay as it is
ethanol as a solvent on the line causing the experiment to
fail.
(4 marks)
On the next page is a diagram of an investigation into the chromatography of three

different inks.

(b) Too much water was added to the beaker. Explain what the issue caused by the
mistake is.
Mistake Issue caused
The water level is above the start line.
The pigments would be diluted
(1 mark)
(c) Explain why the start line was drawn in pencil.

HINT: think about why pen is not used to help you think about why pencil is used.
(1 mark)
Since the pencil is made of graphite which isn’t soluble so therefore wont dissolve
and cause disruption to the experiment
Making salts

A student wanted to make copper sulfate crystals. This is the method they used:
1. Measure out 25 cm3 of nitric acid and add it to a beaker.
2. Gently warm the acid.
3. Add excess calcium oxide and stir.
4. Heat the solution in an evaporating basin over a water bath to the
crystallisation point.
5. Leave the solution on a windowsill to crystallise and pat the crystals dry with
filter paper.
The student’s method did not lead to the production of copper sulfate crystals.
2.
(a) Identify three mistakes the student made.
Mistake 1
Usage of Nitric acid instead of sulphuric acid
Mistake 2
Usage of excess calcium oxide instead of copper oxide
Mistake 3
Did not filter out the excess solid calcium oxide before heating it
(3 marks)
The student corrected the mistakes they made. They used the new method (below)
and made copper sulfate crystals:
1. Measure out 25 cm3 of sulfuric acid and add it to a beaker.
2. Gently warm the acid.
3. Add excess copper oxide and stir.
4. Filter the solution using a funnel and filter paper to remove excess copper
oxide.
5. Heat the solution in an evaporating basin over a water bath to the
crystallisation point.
4

6. Leave the solution on a windowsill to crystallise and pat the crystals dry with
filter paper.
(b) Select the reason why copper oxide was added in excess. Tick one box.
Tic
To ensure the sulfuric acid fully reacted. k
Because copper oxide is a solid.
To ensure the sulfuric acid is not a limiting reactant.
Because copper oxide is a base.

(1 mark)
(c) Explain why the acid was gently warmed.

So the reaction happens faster.
(1 mark)

Neutralisation
A student wants to carry out a titration to find out the volume of potassium
hydroxide that reacts with 25.0 cm 3 of sulfuric acid.
3.
(a) Name the apparatus below.
1. Burette
__________________________________________________________________________
2. _Pipette__________________________________________________________________
_______
3. Conical flask
_________________________________________________________________________
4. _safety goggles
_________________________________________________________________________
5. _white tile
_________________________________________________________________________

6. Universal indicator - dropper

__________________________________________________________________________
(6 marks)
(b) Rearrange the steps below that would lead to us find out the volume of
potassium hydroxide that reacts with 25.0 cm 3 of sulfuric acid.
1. Fill a burette with potassium hydroxide.

2. Repeat until you have concordant results (results within 0.1 cm3 of each
other).
3. Read the volume used from the burette and record it.
4. Add a few drops of indicator to the conical flask.
5. Add 25.0 cm 3 of sulfuric acid to a conical flask and place on a white tile.
6. Stop adding potassium hydroxide when the indicator colour changes.
7. Add the potassium hydroxide from the burette to the sulfuric acid and
indicator while swirling the conical flask.
8. Add the potassium hydroxide dropwise as the indicator colour is starting to
change (nearing the endpoint).
9. Take an average of the concordant results – this is the volume needed to
react.
Write the correct order below. Step 1 is the correct first step and step 9 is the correct
last step:
1. Fill a burette with potassium hydroxide

2. Add 25.0 cm 3 of sulfuric acid to a conical flask and place on a white tile
3. Add a few drops of indicator to the conical flask
4. Add the potassium hydroxide from the burette to the sulfuric acid and indicator while
swirling the conical flask.
5. Add the potassium hydroxide dropwise as the indicator colour is starting to change
(nearing the endpoint).
6. Stop adding potassium hydroxide when the indicator colour changes.
7. Read the volume used from the burette and record it.
7
8. Repeat until you have concordant results (results within 0.1 cm3 of each other).
9. Take an average of the concordant results – this is the volume needed to react.
(7 marks)

Experiments and Errors

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Experiments and Errors

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Teaching science skills 14–16 years

Available from rsc.li/3YCK0pG

Practical planning: spot the mistakes

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

Mistake Issue caused

Ink is soluble in water , which will lead

The pigments are insoluble in water so

On the next page is a diagram of an investigation into the chromatography of three

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

Mistake Issue caused

The water level is above the start line.

The pigments would be diluted

(c) Explain why the start line was drawn in pencil.

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

Usage of Nitric acid instead of sulphuric acid

Usage of excess calcium oxide instead of copper oxide

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

Because copper oxide is a solid.

To ensure the sulfuric acid is not a limiting reactant.

Because copper oxide is a base.

(c) Explain why the acid was gently warmed.

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

6. Universal indicator - dropper

1. Fill a burette with potassium hydroxide.

1. Fill a burette with potassium hydroxide

© 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry

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