Burning Magnesium Lab

---Materials---

-safety goggles

-magnesium strips

-crucible with lid

-scale

-crucible holder

-Bunsen burner (and fuel for it, obviously)

-tongs

-distilled water

-electricity conductivity tester

---Procedure---

1. Make sure safety goggles are on. Mass the crucible without lid and record.

2. Take two or three magnesium strips and roll into ball. Place the ball into the crucible, mass again without lid, and record.

3. Put lid onto crucible and place crucible onto holder above Bunsen burner with tongs.

4. Turn on Bunsen burner fuel and light Bunsen burner. Adjust fuel intake so the top of the flame is just under the crucible.

5. Wait two minutes and take the lid off.

6. Wait for the magnesium to ignite. When the magnesium ignites, turn off the Bunsen burner. If the magnesium does not ignite use the tongs to take the magnesium into the top of the flame and ignite it. Place the magnesium back into the crucible and turn off the Bunsen burner.

Magnesium burning creates ultraviolet light, which is a hazard to the eyes. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE BURNING MAGNESIUM.

7. Wait for crucible to cool off and mass without lid with burned magnesium still inside. Record.

8. Place distilled water into crucible with burned magnesium and stir. Use electricity conductivity tester to see if the water conducts electricity. Record.

9. Remove distilled water and burned magnesium into trash. Clean up station.

---Results---

crucible mass: 23.49 g

^ with magnesium: 23.57 g

after burn: 23.57 g

distilled water conducts: false

---Analyze and Conclude answers---

1. Magnesium ribbon mass: 0.08 g

Product mass: 0.08 g

2. Light and heat; it is a different substance

3. Because it went through a chemical reaction and nothing was touching it except the crucible and the air, and the crucible didn't go through a chemical reaction.

4. MgO, Mg3N2

5. Magnesium and oxygen

6. No, no.

7. Mass with magnesium before burn was done incorrectly or some magnesium was lost.

---Real-World Chemistry answers---

1. Magnesium is not in a lot of multivitamins.
2. Mg(OH)2 is used in antacids and laxatives.