Background! Copper carbonate is a light blue powder that turns black when it is heated.

It looks like the copper powder is burning but what is really happening? ! Carbon dioxide gas can be collected when copper carbonate is heated. The black powder left behind is copper oxide. The reaction can be summarised in the following equation!

Decomposition of Copper Carbonate! !

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CuCO3 (s) ! CuO (s) + CO2 (g)!

In this experiment different amounts of copper carbonate will be heated to see how much carbon dioxide gas is made. The amount of gas made will be determined by the lass of mass from the experiment. !

Aim!
To determine the relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide gas made during a decomposition reaction of different amounts of copper carbonate.! How does the amount of carbon dioxide gas change with the amount of copper carbonate used in a reaction? !

Variables!
Independent - Amount of coper carbonate!

! Dependent -Amount of carbon dioxide ! !

Controlled! Temperature for heating - The heating for the reaction will be from a bunsen burner which can get to temperatures of 1100C. The same setting on the bunsen burner will be used to give a blue ame that is about 3cm high. ! Source of copper carbonate - All copper carbonate will come from a single stock bottle! Time for heating - The copper carbonate will be heated for 5 minutes on each trial! Method of measuring mass - The same scales will be used to allow for the same amount for systematic error. !

Materials! Copper carbonate, 150g! Several test tubes! Test tube holder! Bunsen burner! Electronic scales (0.01g)! Spatular!

Method! 1) Zero the electronic scales before measuring the mass of a clean test tube! 2) Place 1.00g of copper carbonate in a test tube! 3) Ignite a bunsen burner and adjust the ame so that it is approximately 3cm high! 4) Using test tube holders, place the test tube into the ame and have the copper carbonate test tube pointing away from you. Wave the test tube in the ame so that the test tube heats evenly and does not melt on one place.!

5) Place the test tube into test tube rack to cool down! 6) After about 2 minutes measure the mass of the test tube and the powder inside! 7) Place the remaining powder into the solids waste! 8) Repeat the method for copper carbonate masses of 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10g samples. Each amount of copper carbonate should be repeated 5 times. !

Processing Steps! 1) Average the amount of mass lost from each trial! 2) Graph the starting mass against the nal mass of the powder! 3) Use a linear relationship and determine the gradient of the line! 4) The gradient of the line should be the percentage by mass of copper oxide in the copper carbonate.! 5) Determine the relative mass of copper carbonate and copper oxide against carbon dioxide.! 6) Calculate the theoretic yield of copper oxide from 5.00 grams of copper carbonate and determine the experimental error. !

! ! Results! !

Table 1 - Change in the mass of copper carbonate when heated for 5 minutes! Starting quantity of CuCO3 (0.01g) Trial numbe r 1 2 1 3 4 5 1 2 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 3 4 Mass of test tube (0.01g) 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 24.05 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 24.05 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 Final Mass of test tube and black powder (0.01g) 25.25 24.4 23.52 23.11 24.77 25.86 25.01 24.16 23.75 25.35 26.47 25.62 24.76 24.34 Mass lost (g) Average mass lost (0.01g)

0.73

0.721999999999999

0.729999999999997 0.710000000000001 0.719999999999999 0.719999999999999 1.34 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.3 1.95 1.95 1.95 1.95 1.948 1.338

Starting quantity of CuCO3 (0.01g)

Trial numbe r 5 1 2

Mass of test tube (0.01g) 24.05 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 24.05 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 24.05 24.52 23.67 22.81 22.39 24.05

Final Mass of test tube and black powder (0.01g) 25.99 27.77 26.96 26.04 25.64 27.31 29.96 29.1 28.27 27.85 29.5 31.62 30.79 29.87 29.48 31.19

Mass lost (g)

Average mass lost (0.01g)

1.94 3.25 3.29 3.23 3.25 3.26 5.44 5.43 5.46 5.46 5.45 7.1 7.12 7.06 7.09 7.14 7.102 5.448 3.256

3 4 5 1 2

3 4 5 1 2

10

3 4

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GRAPH!

CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION!

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As the amount of copper carbonate increases so does the average mass lost. This can be seen by the the graph below. Some points do not go through the line because of small random uncertainties. However, the general trend is valid. !

! Evaluation: ! ! There is no systematic error as the graph passes through the origin. ! !

-Weakness: Not all the points pass through the line. This indicates the existence of random uncertainties.! There are not enough points ! -about 2 minutes about is very approximative. 2 minutes may be different for different people.! -There is no xed way to wave the test tube around the ame. Resulting in random uncertainties. !

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Improvements: ! -Have a xed way to wave the test tube around the ame to reduce random uncertainties.! -Measure the intensity of the ame by the degree to which the hole in the bunsen burner is covered or turned. ! -Have more detailed method in order for efcient data collection. As a result, more data may be collected with the remaining time and hence uncertainties may be decreased and a better trend can be established. ! -As a result, a stopwatch needs to be used. In order to, be sure that the tube is heated for 2 minutes accurately. ! -!

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Limitations: ! -The trend could curve later on. ! -The amount of copper carbonate isnt going to react to make carbon dioxide depends on the oxygen there is a quantity at which copper carbonate cant react. !

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Observations! Step 1 - Test tubes are clear all the way through the experiment! Step 2 - The copper carbonate has a blue/green colour to it. The colour is very light and the powder is very ne and dusty. ! step 4 - As the copper carbonate is heated it turns black. Some light shaking of the test tube shows that the blue colour is present underneath the black colour. The powder seems to bubble or boil. What looks to be a light smoke rises from the test tube after a few seconds. ! Most trials have light bubbling after 3 minutes. The 8.00g sample stops to bubble after about 4 minutes. The 10g sample is almost nished bubbling after the 5 minute period. !

Your task!

You should complete the processing of the data so that you are able to write a conclusion based on the above results. ! There were many experiments like this from early chemists that allowed the science of chemistry to know the relative mass of one molecule to another. ! You should Complete a conclusion and evaluation of the experiment and submit it via managebac before Friday, 13th december. !

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