[kasia]

We did at chemistry double displacement reaction between sodium sulphate and barium chloride to get sodium chloride and barium sulphate. Our teacher asked us to write a report on that lab and to find every possible mistake which could occur during this lab. I want ask for help with this cause I have no idea what I can write. I want to also ask why this reaction should not be named as double displacement reaction.
Thanks for all answers.

[Astrokel]

I want ask for help with this cause I have no idea what I can write.

You have to look at your lab procedures and your lab apparatus used to determine.

I want to also ask why this reaction should not be named as double displacement reaction.

Why not? It is a double displacement reaction. Note double displacement reaction is further classify to precipitation, neutralization and gas formation. And of course this experiment you did is precipitation reaction and it is a double displacement reaction.

[Arkcon]

There seems to be a new style of naming for this particular reaction, nowadays, teachers are calling it -- a metathesis reaction.  You can seach this forum for more on that name.  It's come up often lately.  Why this name is preferable to double displacement, that I don't know.  Maybe your book or lab notes has a hint.  This is a typical outcome -- when you have a definition that you don't understand, only your book, class notes, or instructor can give you the best answer.  Because it's often unique to your class.

Now, on to your experimental write-up.  It's hard, when you're just starting out, to find out what your sources of error are.  It really does depend on what, exactly, you did.  For example, what did you measure?  Measurements are what's usually in error.  I mean, it's also an error if you grabbed sodium chloride instead of sodium sulfate, but that's not a measurable error, the reaction simply won't go -- all or nothing, as it were.

For the fun of it, can you write you're experiment's reaction using a balanced chemical equation?

[Astrokel]

I agree with Arkcon that only your teacher can give you the best answer as only they know what answers they want from students. If your teacher is expecting a metathesis reaction rather than double displacement answer, then i would say it is pretty lame.

[kasia]

Well the balanced chemical equation for this experiment is:

Na2SO4+BaCl2 - 2NaCl+BaSO4.

The most important aspect of this lab was that was a quantitative lab. I want also to ask what drives this reaction??

[Borek]

Witaj na forum

I want also to ask what drives this reaction??

What were your observations? Have you noticed something after mixing sodium sulfate and barium chloride?

[kasia]

I want also to ask what drives this reaction??

What were your observations? Have you noticed something after mixing sodium sulfate and barium chloride?

Well the solution became white and looked like a milk. After that we put the filter paper in the funnel, and the funnel in the empty flask. Then we put the solution to the beaker. It took a while before everything was filtrate. On the filter paper was lying barium sulphate and in the flask was sodium chloride (aq).

[Borek]

I want also to ask what drives this reaction??

Well the solution became white and looked like a milk. After that we put the filter paper in the funnel, and the funnel in the empty flask. Then we put the solution to the beaker. It took a while before everything was filtrate. On the filter paper was lying barium sulphate and in the flask was sodium chloride (aq).

Good. Now, if you will mix barium chloride with - say - sodium nitrate, will you observe any reaction?