Identifying Unknown SubstancesThe goal of Project 11 is to identify an unknown substance that has been given to us. This project was divided into 2 weeks. The first week, my group and I identified our substance by performing several tests such as: a solubility test, conductivity tests, pH tests, anion test and a cation test. During the second week, we had to confirm our unknown substance. For the solubility test, we were told to try dissolving our unknown substance in water (H20), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrochloric acid (HCl), toluene, and acetone. Our unknown substance was soluble in water, but not in toluene or acetone. Our substance dissolves in water, that means it must be some type of ionic compound. But if our substance dissolved in toluene, which is an organic solvent, then our substance would be nonpolar. From these results, we concluded that our substance was ionic because substances dissolve in other substances that are similar to it: “like dissolves like”. A substance will dissolve into something similar to it. The next test we performed was the conductivity test. To perform this test, we had to take 1 g of our unknown sample and mix it with 10 ml of water. Our TA told us that if the voltmeter gave us a positive number, then our substance would be considered conductive. Conductivity indicates how well water can pass an electric current. When inorganic substances are dissolved in water, the conductivity of the water changes significantly. Inorganic substances like sulfate, chloride and nitrate will affect the water and create high conductivity. The conductivity of distilled water is 0.5 to 3 Ohms. The reading the voltmeter gave us was 84 Ohms, this is considered very conductive...... middle of paper ...... Cooperative Chemistry Laboratory Manual. 5th. United States of America: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 59-61. Print.Helmenstine, Anne. “Purple fire and potassium.” About.com Chemistry. About.com, November 14, 2011. Web. March 2, 2014. .Hemenstine, Anne. “What is litmus paper?.” About.com Chemistry. About.com, January 9, 2009. Web. February 17, 2014. ...ResearchGate. ResearchGate, March 26, 2013. Web. March 2, 2014. “Water: monitoring and assessment.” EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency. Np, March 6, 2012. Web. March 2 2014. .