With the initial foam volume being greater than that of sodium, it is the potassium soap that has the greater foaming ability in comparison to the sodium soap. In relation to a previous statement, it is most probably to the large foam bubble production by the potassium soap in contrast to the numerous small foam bubbles produced by the sodium soap. The larger the foam bubbles produced the less stable they are and will most definitely burst, and when they do, the foam volume of the potassium soap will reduce faster than the sodium soap initial volume.
However, it is difficult to exactly pinpoint the factor behind the greater foaming action as it could have been a result of chemical nature or chemical impurities found in the potassium oleate…show more content… It is one of the largest sources of random error in the reaction mixture because the reaction mixture solidifies when inside the pipette which was preventing the measurements on the pipette to be accurately read.
The random errors make the % yield calculated less certain as the trend in % yields are very high and that the yield difference between the potassium soap and sodium soap is far greater. A possible answer to this error might be the sodium chloride stored in the white precipitate after it was filtered off, as the % yields were above 100% and that there were some fatty acids that were unreacted in the reaction mixture which proves why there are a presence of impurities in the soaps produced.
The second largest source of random error was from the experiment involves the calculation of the foam volume. The miscalculations are to be the result of larger foam bubbles taking up too much space and pushing the top foam volume higher than actual. Alternatively, when these large foam bubbles burst, the volume inside the cylinder would drop in huge amounts resulting in numerous gaps which result in inaccurate readings. However, the recorded stability in between the two soaps might be hindered as a result of the various bubbles produced by both of the…show more content… Thereafter, the mixture should be left, so the ethanol is allowed time to evaporate similar to the filter paper evaporation for the potassium soap. This would primarily reduce the amount of impurities present in both the potassium and sodium soaps and would result in a better level to test the two soaps, as the amount of impurities is predicted to be equal.
2)To decrease the systematic error in the experimental solubility test, measurements should be recorded when adding the potassium or sodium soap to water and then measurements should be recorded regarding the dissolving characteristics of both soaps.
3)It would be wise to repeat the experiment regarding the foaming ability for the potassium and the sodium soaps. In addition, it is better to use a bigger cylinder to prevent the larger foam bubbles from sticking the sides of the cylinder and increasing in size. By using a bigger cylinder, it will spread the foam bubbles out more evenly resulting in a more accurate measurement of foam