Conclusion
This experiment and research was done in order to create and observe magnesium sulfate. As a result of mixing 0.5 grams of magnesium oxide (MgO) and 40 ml of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), 1.49 g of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) was created, along with 0.22 g of (H2O). Mixing the two compounds together generated a bubbling liquid, which, when settled, turned white. To prove that MgSO4 was created, a balanced chemical equation of magnesium oxide and sulfuric acid can be used to prove that the compounds do create magnesium sulfate and water: MgO (solid) + H2SO4 (aqueous liquid) ----> MgSO4 (aqueous liquid) + H2O (liquid). To complete the experiment, the actual reaction was performed with the specific amounts of magnesium oxide and sulfuric acid, and theoretical calculations were done to determine how much of the product was created. Magnesium oxide resulted in being the limiting reactant, so only 1.49 grams of magnesium sulfate was generated. Error could have resulted in measuring the magnesium oxide and sulfuric acid and in the calculations performed afterward. Too much or too little of each compound could have been mixed together, and the calculations in determining magnesium sulfate composition from magnesium oxide could have been off as well.