5. Place the flask on the hot sand bath to evaporate the water and unreacted HCl. Continue until the water has entirely evaporated,
leaving only a pinkish-white solid residue. If droplets persist on the flask walls, use tongs to lay the flask carefully
on an angle, with the lip of the flask on the rim of the sand bath.
6. When the flask is thoroughly dry, use tongs or a hot-pad to remove it from the sand bath to a place where it can cool for
5–10 minutes. A desiccator made from a large coffee can with a drying agent in the bottom is ideal. The drying agent
keeps the product from absorbing moisture from the air.
7. After the flask has cooled to room temperature, determine the mass of the flask and product.
8. Return the flask to the hot sand bath for an additional 3–5 minutes heating. Cool the flask in the desiccator, then measure
its mass and record it in your Data Table. Ideally, this mass should agree to within 0.003 g of the previous weighing.
9. Dispose of the contents of the flask as directed by your teacher