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THE COPPER CYCLE LAB

Matter & Chemical Bonding

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) Background Information: A chemical reaction is a process


that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical
substances to another. The substance (or substances) initially
involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants or reagents.
Chemical reactions are usually characterized by a chemical
change, and they yield one or more products, which usually have
properties different from the reactants. Chemical reactions are
described with chemical equations, which graphically present the
starting materials, end products, and sometimes intermediate
products and reaction conditions. In this lab we identified
different types of chemical reactions, more specifically those
involving copper, through which we learned the essentials of the
law of conversion of mass theory. This theory states that for
any system closed to all transfers of matter and energy (both of
which have mass), the mass of the system must remain constant
over time, as system mass cannot change quantity if it is not
added or removed. The law of conversion of mass was
distinctively relevant to the lab due to the fact that throughout
the experiment, we conducted a series of five transfers of matter
and energy in which the mass of the system remained
theoretically constant over time, although due to several errors
experienced throughout the lab, the mass of the copper
changed. Throughout this lab, we observed five chemical
reactions involving copper. These were: a redox reaction (which
includes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their
oxidation state changed) a double displacement reaction
(which is a chemical process involving the exchange of bonds
between two reacting chemical species, which results in the
creation of products with similar or identical bonding affiliations),
a decomposition reaction (the separation of a chemical
compound into elements or simpler compounds) and a singledisplacement reaction (a type of oxidation-reduction chemical
reaction when an element or ion moves out of one compound
and into another). There are a myriad of safety requirements
that are put in place throughout a lab, as to allow a student to
remain safe and engaged throughout their experiment. The three
main safety risks that one can encounter while undergoing a
lab are:
a. Fire: there should never be open flames in the lab. Make it
a working rule that water is the only non-flammable liquid
you are likely to encounter. Treat all others in the vicinity of
a flame as you would gasoline. Specifically, never heat any
organic solvent in an open vessel, such as a test tube,
Erlenmeyer flask, or beaker, with a flame.

b. Explosions: never heat a closed system or conduct a


reaction in a closed system (unless specifically directed to
perform the latter process and then only with frequent
venting). Before starting a distillation or a chemical
reaction, make sure that the system is vented. The results
of an explosion are flying glass and spattered chemicals,
usually both hot and corrosive.
c. Chemical and Thermal Burns: many inorganic chemicals
such as the mineral acids and alkalis are corrosive to the
skin and eyes. Likewise, many organic chemicals, such as
acid halides, phenols, and so forth are corrosive and often
toxic. If these are spilled on the desk, in the hood, or on a
shelf, call for assistance in cleaning them up.

4) Reference to background information used: the information


above was primarily sourced from the chemistry textbook as well
as the following websites:
a. About Education, Chemistry Home Page
http://chemistry.about.com/ (accessed Tuesday November
25th, 2014)
b. Wikipedia, Chemical Reaction, November 12th, 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_reaction (accessed
Tuesday November 25th, 2014)
II) Materials:
TABLE 1: The equipment used throughout the copper-tocopper lab.
6 mol/L NaOH
6 mol/L nitric acid
beaker tongs
3 mol/L H2SO4
wash bottle (distilled) 50-mL beaker
zinc (granular form)
hot plate
safety goggles
copper (powder form) glass stir stick
blue litmus paper
red litmus paper
gloves
III) Method:
1) Procedure: Here is a detailed summary of the procedure to
which we followed in order to complete the lab, in sequential
order and categorized by reaction.
a) Reaction A:
1.
Mass your empty 50 mL beaker.
2.
Without getting copper on the sides of your beaker,
carefully place of 0.10 g of powdered copper in your
50 mL beaker.

3.

4.

Under the teachers supervision, add approximately 2


mL of concentrated HNO3 (aq) to the beaker in the
fume hood. Continue to add the nitric acid until no
more brown NO2 gas is produced.
Add 2 mL of distilled water to the beaker containing
Cu(NO3)2 solution.

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.

When the reaction is complete and is under the fume


hood, add 5 mL of 3 mol/L sulphuric acid while
stirring or swirling the solution. This removes any
unreacted zinc but does not affect the copper metal.
Carefully decant the liquid into another beaker.
5

11.

Discard the liquid in the refuse container in the fume


hood.
Allow the copper metal remaining to dry (overnight).
When dry, mass the beaker with copper. Record your
observations.

2) Assurances of Data: throughout the lab, my partner and I


conducted several measurements for each individual reaction,
using detailed equipment (i.e a 50 ml beaker, for other
information on the materials used, please refer to the Materials
section of this lab) as well as went through the process of litmus
paper testing and multiple trials, as to assure the outcome of
sufficient, relevant data. For instance, we repeated procedure 2
three times, as to reduce the possibility of an incorrect
measurement, which could have affected the outcome of the
proceeding reactions for the lab.

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).

- Bubbles formed at - The gas ceased to


the surface of the
be produced after
solution and a redthe reaction.
brown gas is
released.
Reaction B: Preparing copper(II) hydroxide
Balanced Chemical Equation:
Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) Cu(OH)2(s) +2NaNO3(aq)
Double Displacement Reaction
Before
During
After
- The solutions
- When the NaOH is - The product is a
colour is blue and
added to the copper thick, blue solution.
clear, while also
solution, it became
- When tested on
being non viscous.
a darker, more
litmus paper, it
- The temperature
saturated shade of
became blue
of the solution is
blue.
(meaning it is now
around room
- The liquid was
considered a basic
temperature ~21.5
clouded and more
solution).
C (70.7 F).
viscous then prior to - There is a small
- When it was tested the reaction.
portion of the light
on red litmus paper,
blue solution
it remained pink
adhered to the side
(meaning that at
of the beaker.
this point it is still
an acid)
- The NaOH is a
translucent, nonviscous liquid.
Reaction C: Preparing copper(II) oxide
Balanced Chemical Equation:
Cu(OH)2(s) CuO(s) + H2O(g)
Decomposition Reaction
Before
During
After
- The solution is
- During the
- After 40 seconds of
thick and blue.
reaction, black spots stirring, the solution
- When tested on
appeared in the
turned dark.
litmus paper, it
liquid as it was
- After several
became blue
heated.
minutes
(meaning it is now
- The colour
(approximately 7) a
considered a basic
changed from blue
black precipitate is
solution).
to brown and
formed.
- There is a small
ultimately finished
portion of the light
in becoming black.
blue solution
- We used a wash
adhered to the side
bottle containing

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.

Reaction E: Regeneration of the copper metal


Balanced Chemical Equation:
CuSO4(aq) + Zn(a) ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s)
ZnSO4(aq) + H2SO4 ZnSO4(aq) + H2(g).
Single Displacement Reaction
Before
During
After
- When the solution
- We added 0.765g
- After the reaction,
is added to a strip of of zinc to the
the solution was
blue litmus paper,
solution.
blue and viscous.
and turns red.
- The temperature
- When the 5mL of
of the solution
3mol/L sulphuric
increased.
acid is added the
- The liquid turned
solution became a
into a cloudy grey,
cloudy white.
bubbles are
- After decanting
produced and as a
process, a red zinc
result a gas is
is left at the bottom
released.
of the beaker.
The list of qualitative observations recorded throughout the lab, more
specifically involving the five main reactions that copper went through (copper

metal with nitric acid copper(II) hydroxide copper(II) oxide copper(II)


sulphate copper metal).

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

NA (we did not get the


chance to calculate
the final mass at the
end of class)
2 mL

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)
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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

Calculation 2 (Table 3, Initial


Moles of Copper, 10th row):
Initial Moles of Copper = Mp(moles per copper)/Mc
= 0.093g(1) / 63.546g/ mol
= 0.00146 moles Cu

c) Calculation 3 (Table 3, Final Moles of Copper, 11th row):


Final Moles of Copper = Mf(moles per copper)/Mc
= Mf / 63.546g/ mol
= Final Moles of Copper
d) Calculation 4 (Table 3, Percentage Yield, 12th row):
Percentage Yield = (moles of copper recovered)/(initial moles of
copper) x 100
= moles Cu/ moles Cu x 100
= Nf / Ni x 100
= Percent Yeild

VI) Conclusion:

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1) Reactions: The chemical equations and reaction types were


very similar to what I initially hypothesized in section I), 2) of this
lab, although due to outside knowledge unbeknownst to me at
the time of the lab, I was not aware of a redox reaction and
therefore the one reaction that largely differs from my hypothesis
is reaction A. For more information on the observations cited,
please refer to section IV), 1) of this lab.
a. In reaction A, after the nitric acid was added the copper,
bubbles formed at the top of the solution while a rise in
temperature occurred, signifying that a gas was released
(observed as being red/brown). We can infer that an oxide
was produced (due to the rise in temperature and the gas
being produced) and that due to the change in oxidation
states of the compound a redox reaction occurred and the
molecule transformed by losing an e-. In this reaction,
copper metal is added to nitric acid, and reacts with it to
produce copper (II) nitrate, while also creating nitrogen
dioxide (the gas observed), and water (which is
decomposed from nitric acid). The balanced chemical
equation for this reaction is: Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) Cu(NO3)2(aq)
+ 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l).
b. In reaction B, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is added at room
temperature to copper(II) nitrate, and they react to create
a blue, basic precipitate. Due to the fact that the solution
reacted to create a precipitate from two compounds, a
precipitation reaction occurred in which the metals in
copper(II) nitrate were displaced to create copper(II)
hydroxide and sodium nitrate. Due to fact that Cu(OH)2 is
not easily soluble, it is therefore solid, while NaNO3 is
aqueous because when referencing the solubility chart,
NO3 is described as being soluble. The balanced chemical
equation for this reaction is: Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NaOH(aq)
CuOH2(s) +2NaNO3(aq).
c. In reaction C, since a black, precipitate was produced from
copper(II) hydroxide, the reaction can therefore be
classified as a metal hydroxide decomposition reaction.
The copper(II) hydroxide decomposed 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. In reaction D, the previously black solution turned blue and
acidic (it turned red tested on a blue litmus paper),
signifying that copper(II) oxide reacted with the sulphuric
acid to produce the acid copper(II) sulphate and water, in
which the copper and hydrogen gas replaced each other,
and a double displacement reaction occurred. The
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copper(II) sulphate is evidently aqueous, because is


aqueous because when referencing the solubility chart, SO4
is described as being soluble and is therefore written as
such in the chemical equation. The balanced chemical
equation for this reaction is: CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) CuSO4(aq)
+ H2O(l).
e. In the final reaction, after 0.8 g of zinc was added to the
solution, the temperature of the mixture increased and
bubbles formed at the top of the liquid, meaning a gas was
released. Throughout the reaction the zinc formed a new
compound with the sulphate and the copper remained as a
metal, resulting in a single displacement reaction. A new
compound, zinc(II) sulphate, was produced, since zinc is
above copper on the activity series. When sulphuric acid
was added to remove any unreacted zinc, a new
compound, zinc (II) sulphate, was produced since zinc is
above hydrogen on the activity series. 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).
2) Calculations:
There are several discrepancies as seen throughout the
experiment in relation to the initial and final masses of copper,
as well as the elements initial and final moles (even though due
to the lack of data, the final mass was not calculated, we would
have found that the final mass of the copper was less than the
initial one. I am aware of this due to the law of conversion of
mass lab, we completed last year). The initial mass of copper
used in the experiment was 0.093g grams (as demonstrated in
Table 3), and the initial moles of copper was 0.00146 moles Cu.
Due to the Law of Conservation of Mass (as summarized in I) 3),
one would predict that after any number of chemical reactions
and phase changes, the final mass and number of moles of
copper would remain the same as the initial amounts. After the
lab was finished, the final mass of the copper, and the final
moles of the copper, although not calculated, will be less then
the initial moles (due to a decrease in mass of the copper),
therefore it is inferred that a variety of sources of error took
place throughout this lab. These errors are examined below.
VII) Evaluation:
1) Errors:
The copper cycle lab procedure was designed to serve the aims
of the investigation as it provided a sequential, listed set of
instructions to which a student was meant to follow. The outlining
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of steps was done in an efficient and concise manner, and


greatly expedited the actual experimentation process. Although
the lab was concisely outlined, there are several key elements
that needed to be addressed as to diminish the amount of errors
seen throughout this lab. Albeit it is impossible to completely
remove the errors that we experienced in this lab, such as
problems relating to human or random errors, there numerous
minute changes that can be made as to devise a similar lab with
fewer errors. The second step of the lab was to measure 0.10 g
of copper and place it in a 50 mL beaker. A systematic error may
have occurred at this step if the balance that was used to weight
the copper was not calibrated correctly, or if the amount of
copper weighed was not exactly the 0.10 g required. Even a
small deviation, such as that of 0.007g in my group, can
influence the final results. Throughout the entirety of the lab,
there were several steps that presented possible sources of error
such as the incorrect addition or subtraction of a specific
compound to the copper solution, or the loss of copper during
transport as well as by being left on the stirring rod. Another
situation, which could have presented itself as a source of
systematic error, was during step 6 when the copper solution and
water was heated so that the contents of the beaker would boil.
The error in this step was caused by the variable heating of the
solution, as there was no precise temperature at which to set the
heat. Additionally, due to the lack of the description of the length
at which the solution was supposed to be heated, certain groups
could have overheated their solutions compared to others and as
a result their solution could have evaporated and lost mass.
Decanting also proposed a source of error because copper may
have been accidentally lost, or not enough water may have been
decanted from the beaker. Lastly, when the final mass of copper
was weighed, the balance may have not been calibrated
correctly, and the copper in the evaporating dish may have
contained impurities that changed the ultimate intended mass of
the copper. In conclusion there were a plethora of errors that
contributed to the discrepancies in the initial and final mass of
the copper as well as the initial and final mole counts for the
copper.
2) Improvements: In reference to the errors outlined above, I
would suggest the following improvements as to limit or remove
any outstanding problems that could affect the ultimate outcome
of the reactions as well as quantitative findings. Firstly, to
effectively manage the problem of incorrectly measuring the
mass of the copper, I would imply the rule that each student
wipe off the scale with a dry cloth prior to its use, as to remove
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unintended waste already on the scale (which was apparent


when I conducted the lab as other groups had left several
impurities on the scale). I would also suggest rinsing off the
stirring rod with distilled water back into the copper solution as
to limit the possibility of any excess copper being left on the rod.
This is important due to the fact that, since we experimented
with a small quantity of copper, any minor amount of the metal
left on external instruments would affect the final mass and
moles calculated for the latter. Additionally, I would recommend
that a pre-determined temperature and length of time to which
the students should heat their solutions (in step 6) be set. Lastly,
to manage the error involving decanting, I would suggest that
each group go through the decanting process twice (during the
first decanting process, empty the liquid contained in the beaker
into a second, external container. At this point the student can
decant the fluid contained in the second beaker into a waste bin,
and place any remaining copper left in the second beaker back
into the first, as to limit the amount of copper lost). This will limit
the possibility that the final calculation of the mass copper is
lesser than that of the initial value, due to the fact that hardly
any copper would be lost during the decanting process.

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