Copper Chloride Hydrate Lab Report

The purpose of this lab was to determine the formula of copper chloride hydrate by dehydration through heating, rehydration through adding water back in, the reaction of aluminum with the copper chloride hydrate to produce solid copper, and the weight of this copper. To accomplish this, a petri dish was weighed and 1.01 g of copper chloride hydrate was added to the dish. The solid salt crystals were broken up to make sure that all of the hydrate would be heated the same. Next, the petri dish and hydrate were heated upon a hot plate for roughly 15 minutes, until all the salt crystals were brown instead of blue. This indicated that all of the water had been burned out of the hydrate, leaving dehydrated copper chloride. The plate was allowed to cool, and then weighed to find …show more content…
It was then swirled gently to dissolve the crystals. The mixture turned blue again at this point, due to the rehydration. An aluminum wire was then obtained, and loosely coiled, so that there was room for the copper to bind to the aluminum, but tight enough that all of the wire was in the solution. The wire was stirred and tapped to get the copper off and to allow for more copper to bind to the aluminum. In roughly 30 minutes, the solution was colorless, and all the copper was either on the wire or in solid chunks at the bottom of the beaker. The copper was removed from wire by tapping it with a glass stir rod, and then rinsing it with deionized water. The copper was removed from the solution and dried. To accomplish this, a filter paper is weighed. The filter paper is then placed in a Buchner funnel, while light suction is applied and water is added slowly to ensure a tight seal. With suction on, the solution is decanted into the funnel. The copper is washed thoroughly with water, and it is made sure that all of the copper is transferred into the funnel into the funnel. Suction is then turned