Description of experiment
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Needed compounds:
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potassium chloride : KCl
magnesium perchlorate : Mg(ClO4)2
acetone : CH3 CO CH3
Class:
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elem=C,Mg,Cl
organic
coordination
Summary:
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Magnesium perchlorate dissolves in acetone very well. The mix of acetone and
magnesium perchlorate does burn like normal acetone. No spectacular reaction
occurs when the solution is ignited.
Description:
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Add a spatula of magnesium perchlorate to 2 ml of dry acetone: The solid
quickly dissolves and some heat is produced. The liquid becomes luke warm, the
amount of heat produced is clearly noticeable, but it is not spectacular.
Pour the liquid in a watch glass and ignite it with a cigarette lighter: The
liquid easily catches fire, just like acetone does. When nearly all acetone is
gone, solid magnesium perchlorate deposits on the glass, which is soaked with
remaining acetone. Due to the heat of burning, the mix of acetone and solid
magnesium perchlorate starts bubbling until finally all acetone is gone. What
remains is a somewhat humid layer of solid material on the glass.
Dissolve the solid material in a small amount of water: A perfectly clear
solution is obtained, which still has a faint smell of acetone.
Add a solution of potassium chloride to the clear liquid: A thick white
precipitate is formed, this must be potassium perchlorate, which only is
marginally soluble in cold water. This confirms that the remaining material
after combustion of the acetone still is magnesium perchlorate.