Within this conclusion, the three aforementioned inquiries posed within the portion titled “Bonding in Alcohols in Relation to Boiling Point” will be answered thoroughly within an analytic context.
1) “On average, by how many degrees celsius does the boiling point increase when the addition of an extra carbon atom in a straight-chain homologous series of saturated alcohols occurs?”
On average, as per calculations conducted, the boiling point increases by a magnitude of approximately 14.1 ℃. Granted such quantitative evidence, in addition to its corresponding visual plotting detailed in figure 2.1, it could reasonably be determined that a quite linear correlation indeed exists between carbon-chain length and boiling …show more content…
Intriguingly, as the conducted experiments disclose, isobutanol possesses an experimental boiling point approximately 23℃ higher than that of tert-butanol. Additionally, the boiling point of isobutanol appears to be 9℃ higher than that of sec-butanol. The latter had been a surprising, perhaps anomalous result indeed, since sec-butanol maintains a longer straight-chain skeleton of carbon atoms (four, to be precise) than either of the former two alcohols, whom possess a maximum straight-chain length of three …show more content…
Determined after approximately two-thirds of all trials had been completed, samples of alcohol were to be boiled within one test tube, and allowed to cool upon a “spectator” ring stand element (as depicted in Laboratory Apparatus Setup), while another sample would be simultaneously tested within an additional respective tube. This decision was enacted for the mere purpose of conserving time; however, in doing so, admittedly the control variable of “laboratory apparatus setup” had been compromised.
4.Uncertainty of thermometer and graduated cylinder. The thermometer uncertainty is especially large; a 1℃ difference is, in regards to the objective of such experimentation, highly significant.
5.Anomalous “eruptions”. One startling observation which could not be explained definitely had been the occasional occurrence of a jet of concentrated vapors emerging from the test tubes which contained currently heated alcohol. Such events immediately decreased both volume of alcohol present in the tube and temperature readings procured by the thermometer; thus, each of the four trials in which an “eruption” occurred was later repeated.
Improvements
1.Utilize a more accurate and reliable digital thermometer during the entirety of experimental