ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Experiment:Making magnesium oxide compound
Aim: To make a compound of magnesium and oxygen (magnesium oxide)
Materials: magnesium ribbon, sandpaper, tongs, burner
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Burning metals in air, Magnesium oxide.
Method
- Clean a piece of magnesium ribbon with sandpaper
- Examine the magnesium and note its physical properties
- Hold the magnesium with a pair of tongs and heat it in the burner flame until it ignites
- Take care not to look directly at the burning magnesium as this might blind you and hurt/cause damage to your eyes
- Remove the magnesium from the flame. It will continue to burn
- When it has finished burning examine the new compound
Results/Observation
- Before it is burned in the flame the magnesium had a silver-white colour after it has been cleaned with sandpaper
- When it ignites it burns with a very bright white flame
- A white powder remains
- This is an exothermic reaction
- This means heat is given out
- The chemical equation is:
- The magnesium reacts with oxygen
To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.
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