I) Introduction:
1) Purpose: The purpose of the copper-to-copper lab was to gain
experience with identifying different types of chemical reactions,
more specifically those involving copper, through which we
learned the essentials of the law of conversion of mass theory. A
specific quantity of copper will be transformed through a series
of reactions and then recovered as copper. After which, relevant
errors will be identified and explained.
2) Hypothesis:
a) Reaction A: If copper metal is added to nitric acid, then a
single displacement reaction might occur because the copper
the nitric acid will displace the hydrogen while creating
oxygen. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l).
b) Reaction B: If sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is added at room
temperature to copper(II) nitrate, then a double displacement
reaction will occur, because copper and sodium will displace
each other to create copper(II) hydroxide and sodium nitrate.
The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) CuOH2(s) +2NaNO3(aq).
c) Reaction C: If heat was added to copper(II) hydroxide, a
decomposition reaction would occur as the reaction would
decompose to form two compounds, copper (II) oxide and
water. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
Cu(OH)2(s) CuO(s) + H2O(g).
d) Reaction D: If sulphuric acid was added to the solution
containing copper (II)oxide, then a double displacement
reaction would occur, because the copper(II) oxide would
react with the sulphuric acid to produce copper (II) sulphate
and water, in which the copper and hydrogen gas would
replace each other. The balanced chemical equation for this
reaction is: CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l).
e) Reaction E: If zinc was placed into the solution containing
copper(II) sulphate, then a single displacement reaction would
occur since the zinc would form a new compound with the
sulphate and the copper would remain as a metal. The
balanced equation for the single displacement reaction is:
CuSO4(aq) + Zn(a) ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s). The zinc(II) sulphate
brakes up into: ZnSO4(aq) + H2SO4 ZnSO4(aq) + H2(g). This is
because, when sulphuric acid is added to remove any
unreacted zinc, zinc(II) sulphate is produced since zinc is
above hydrogen on the activity series.
3.
4.
b) Reaction B:
5.
You must wear gloves for these next steps. At room
temperature, while stirring with a glass rod, add 1.5
mL of 6 mol/L NaOH and continue to add the NaOH a
couple drops at a time until the solution is basic to
red litmus paper. Do not put the red litmus paper in
solution. Dip the glass rod into the solution and
touch it to the litmus paper. Be sure to record your
observations.
c) Reaction C:
6.
While constantly stirring the solution with a glass rod,
heat the mixture from step 5 on a hot plate at
medium heat until a black precipitate is formed. If
necessary, use the wash bottle to wash loose any
unreacted light-blue precipitate that is adhering to
the side of the beaker.
7.
When all the light-blue precipitate has reacted to
form the black precipitate, cool the beaker in a coolwater bath (use the sink with a couple of centimetres
of water) for several minutes.
d) Reaction D:
8.
Wearing gloves, carefully add about 6 mL of 3 mol/L
sulphuric acid to the beaker. Stir it until all black
precipitate has dissolved. Record your observations.
e) Reaction E:
9.
Check the acidity of your solution using blue litmus
paper. Record your observations. In a fume hood,
carefully add about 0.8 g of zinc to the solution of
copper(II) sulphate. Stir the solution until the blue
colour disappears. Record your observations.
10.
11.
IV) Results:
1) Qualitative Observations:
TABLE 2: The qualitative observations taken throughout the lab.
Reaction A: Preparing copper(II) nitrate
Balanced Chemical Equation:
Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l)
Redox Reaction
Before
During
After
- Copper is brown
- Colour and state
- The solutions
and dry.
change of the
colour is blue and
- The copper is at
copper (from a solid clear, while also non
room temperature.
brown to a green
viscous.
then blue liquid).
- The temperature
- Temperature
decreased to that at
change (it increased which it was initially
throughout the
(room temperature
reaction).
~21.5 C (70.7 F).
of the beaker.
distilled water to
flush some of the
blue precipitate
concentrated on the
sides of the beaker
into the solution.
Reaction D: Preparing copper(II) sulphate
Balanced Chemical Equation:
CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l).
Double Displacement Reaction
Before
During
- Black, non-viscous - Within a 2
liquid.
seconds, the
- The temperature
solution turned
of the solution is
green and the blue.
around room
- The black
temperature ~21.5
precipitate turned
C (70.7 F).
into clumps.
- The temperature
of the new solution
is around room
temperature ~21.5
C (70.7 F).
After
- The solution is
blue, clear and nonviscous.
- It resembles the
copper(II) nitrate
solution.
2) Quantitative Observations:
TABLE 3: The qualitative observations taken throughout the
lab.
Mass of empty beaker,
Mi /g
( 0.0005 g)
Mass of beaker +
copper before
reactions, Mt
/g
( 0.0005 g)
Mass of copper before
reactions, Mp
/g
( 0.0005 g)
Mass of beaker after
reactions , Mf/g
( 0.0005 g)
Amount of
concentrated HNO3(aq)
/mL
( 0.5 mL)
Amount of 6mol/L
NaOH /mL
( 0.5 mL)
Amount of 3 mol/L
sulphuric acid /mL
( 0.5 mL)
Amount of zinc added
to copper(II) sulphate
solution /g
( 0.0005 g)
Molar mass of copper,
Mc
/g/mol
Initial Moles of
Copper, Ni /mol Cu
Final Moles of Copper,
Nf
/mol Cu
35.757 g
35.850 g
0.093 g
1.5 mL
6 mL
0.8 g
63.546 g/mol
0.00146 mol Cu
NA (this cannot be
calculated without the
final mass of copper)
9
Percent Yield
NA (this cannot be
calculated without the
final mass of copper)
The list of quantitative observations recorded throughout the lab, including the
mass of the beaker and the copper, as measured with a force scale.
V) Analysis:
1) Calculations:
a) Calculation 1 (Table 3, Mass of Copper Before Reactants, 3 rd
row):
The mass of copper before reactants = Mt Mi
Uncertainty:
The least count of the scale
used to measure the copper
was 0 001 g, the uncertainty
was +/- 0.0005 g.
b)
35.850g 35.757g
0.093g 0.0005g
VI) Conclusion:
10
14