Question

The water for the pan (Part A.3) is not saturated with Co2. Will the reported percent CaCO3 in the original sample be too high, too low, or unaffected? Explain.

Answer 1

I suppose lab wants to collect the CO2 evolved from reaction of CaCO3-containing material with an acid by letting it bubble into an inverted, water-filled vessel in a tray of water. CO2 will dissolve in water, so if the water is not saturated with CO2 first, it will absorb some of the CO2 which you created and make it appear as if less were evolved than was actualy the case. This would make it appear as if the percent CaCO3 in the original sample was lower than it is