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General Discussion
Coal samples for this experiment are readily available from local
utility companies and in some cases from college or university heating
plants if coal is the primary energy source. Usually the plant operator
can provide a fairly accurate estimate of the sulfur content of the coal
for comparison to results obtained by students.
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in water, but EDTA solubilizes it because the barium ion chelates
strongly with EDTA. The uncomplexed EDTA is then titrated with
standard magnesium chloride solution. By subtracting the moles of
MgCl2 added from the total moles of EDTA used, the moles of sulfur
and percent sulfur in the coal sample can be determined.
Note
Materials
b. 6 M HCl.
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15 mL triethanolamine and 5 mL absolute ethanol.
Instrumentation
Procedure
Heat the contents of the erlenmeyer flasks to nearly boiling (if they
are not already at that temperature) and add 15 mL of nearly boiling
barium chloride solution fairly rapidly with vigorous stirring. Heat just
under the boiling point for 1 hour. Filter the white barium sulfate
precipitate in each erlenmeyer flask quantitatively by vacuum through a
separate Whatman # 42 filter paper. Rinse any residual precipitate
from the erlenmeyer flask to the filter paper with cold deionized water
at least three times to achieve complete transfer of the precipitate
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and to thoroughly wash the precipitate.
For each of the three samples tested, determine the percent sulfur
in the coal. Also, calculate the amount of sulfur burned and the amount
of sulfur dioxide produced per hour by a power plant burning 600
tons of coal per hour.
Waste Disposal
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Report the following Data:
Identity of Coal
Titration Results
1 2 3
final buret reading mL mL mL
initial buret reading mL mL mL
volume of titrant mL mL mL
1.
2.
3.
Calculate the sulfur burned and the sulfur dioxide produced per hour
by a power plant burning 600 tons of coal per hour.
1.
2.
3.
Discussion
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