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Chem HELP (1 Viewer)

kittyful

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So im doing an experiment in class, and i have to test 5 physical properties of of substance and i picked
- melting point
-lusture (shiny-ness)
- malleability
- solubility
- electrical conductivity

And i tested it on Epsom salt, how do i prove using the results from the physical tests that Epsom salt is an ionic and covalent molecular substance?

Any help would be appreciated :)
 

carmot

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It has to be either ionic or covalent molecular, not both (unless talking about acids in which they are CM but act like ionic when dissolved). To prove that it is ionic, test conductivity when solid (should be nil), then either melt it or dissolve it in water then test, and you should find that it conducts. The fact that it dissolves in water shows that it definitely isn't a metal or covalent network structure. Lack of lustre shows it isn't a metal, while it can't be covalent molecular because it is hard (and brittle).
 

kittyful

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and how do i test its melting point with a bunsen burner... like how can i tell if the substance has a high or low melting point... i am using a deflagorating spoon and a bunsen burner :) ?
 

spakfilla

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and how do i test its melting point with a bunsen burner... like how can i tell if the substance has a high or low melting point... i am using a deflagorating spoon and a bunsen burner :) ?
Good luck trying to get that to melt in a bunsen!!
Just look it up in a text book or google
 

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