- 1). Place about 1 tsp. of the unknown substance in a ceramic crucible.
- 2). Connect an iron ring to a ring stand, then center a clay triangle on the circular ring. Then place an alumina crucible in the center of the clay triangle.
- 3). Place a Bunsen burner beneath the crucible and adjust the iron ring on the ring stand so the bottom of the crucible sits about 3 inches above the burner.
- 4). Place about 1 tsp. of the unknown solid in the crucible.
- 5). Put on safety glasses, then connect the burner to a gas supply line, turn on the gas, then light the burner. Turn the flow-control screw on the bottom of the burner so the burner flame consists of a blue cone no more than 2 inches high.
- 6). Observe the solid to determine if it melts. Bunsen burners generate a maximum temperature of about 935 degrees Celsius. This temperature, however, only occurs in a narrow region of the flame's blue cone. At 1 inch above the flame, the crucible will not approach the melting point of sodium carbonate. Therefore, if the substance melts, it must be sodium hydroxide.
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