Essay on silver oxide lab

Silver oxide has the same structure as Cu2O molecule. It has two coordinate silver centers linked by tetrahedral oxides. It crystallizes in a cubic structure. In its unit cell Ag atoms arrange in face centered cubic sublattice and oxygen atom in base centered cubic sublattice.

Silver oxide must be stored in a dark place as it is a photosensitive compound. It decomposes at the temperatures above 280 ℃. Its molar mass is 231.7 g/mol. It is a dark brown or black colored compound which is found in solid powdered form at STP.

Alkali hydroxide are those compounds which are composed of an alkali metal cation and hydroxide anion, for example, LiOH, NaOH and KOH etc. To prepare silver oxide from silver nitrate, we take 20ml of silver nitrate in a clear, dry test tube. Now pipette out 20ml of sodium hydroxide in the same test tube. Now mix both the reagents well.

To find the percent composition and empirical formula of silver oxide can then be calculated, based on combining the ratios of silver and oxygen in the reaction. Hypothesis: Silver oxide decomposes to silver metal and oxygen when strongly heated. Heating Silver oxide causes the oxygen to be driven off, leaving only the silver metal behind.