Introduction
Copper is an element that can be typically obtained from copper ore (minerals) in the Earth’s crust(1). The ore is initially mined then goes through processes to recover copper(2).
Copper is important as it many chemical and physical properties. Copper is a good conductor of electricity and is malleable (the ability to be bent) which is why copper is used in electrical wiring. It is also used in bronze and brass as an alloying agent(3).
Chemists use a sequence of chemical reactions to obtain a desired product that cannot be obtained in a single reaction. In the series of reactions, the product of the initial reaction selected with reagents, is used as a reactant in the second reaction. This process can be repeated until the product …show more content…
We heated the beaker until the solution started boiling and we could no longer see any changes. Then we removed the stirring rod and washed off any particles into the beaker with a wash bottle. Once the mixture had cooled we poured out as much of the clear liquid as possible without losing the solid. We washed the solid by adding 100mL of distilled water and stirred the mixture. We allowed the solid to settle at the bottom before pouring out the clear liquid. We repeated this step with another 100mL of distilled water, keeping the …show more content…
Results
Table 1 – Reactions and evidence of the reaction occurring
Steps
Reaction and chemical equation
Evidence for the reaction
1
Copper (s) + Nitric acid (aq) Nitrogen dioxide(g) + water (l)
Cu(s)+4HNO3(aq) (CuNO3)2+2NO2(g)+H2O(l)
- Colour change from blue to green
- Orange gas was emitted
2
Copper nitrate (aq) + Sodium Hydroxide (aq) Copper Hydroxide + Sodium Nitrate
Cu(NO3)2(aq)+2NaOH(aq) CuOH(s)+2NaNo3(aq)
- Colour change from green to blue
- Gas was produced, vapour
3
Copper hydroxide (s) + heat (aq) Copper Oxide (s) + water(l)
Cu(OH)2(aq)+heat(aq) CuO(s)+H2O(g)
- Colour change, from blue to black
- Black precipitate was formed
4
Copper oxide (s) + Sulfuric acid (aq) Copper sulphate (aq) +Water (l)
CuO(s)+H2SO4(aq) CuSO4(aq)+H2O(l)
- Colour change from black to light blue
5
Copper sulphate (aq) + Zinc (s) Zinc sulphate (aq) + Copper (s)
CuSO4(aq)+Zn(s) ZnSO4(aq)+Cu(s)
- Bubbling
- The colour became clear
Table 2 – Mass of recovered copper
Mass of empty beaker
100.9g
Mass of beaker and copper
103.3g
Mass of copper (recovered)
2.4g
Figure 1 - Percent yield of
Copper is an element that can be typically obtained from copper ore (minerals) in the Earth’s crust(1). The ore is initially mined then goes through processes to recover copper(2).
Copper is important as it many chemical and physical properties. Copper is a good conductor of electricity and is malleable (the ability to be bent) which is why copper is used in electrical wiring. It is also used in bronze and brass as an alloying agent(3).
Chemists use a sequence of chemical reactions to obtain a desired product that cannot be obtained in a single reaction. In the series of reactions, the product of the initial reaction selected with reagents, is used as a reactant in the second reaction. This process can be repeated until the product …show more content…
We heated the beaker until the solution started boiling and we could no longer see any changes. Then we removed the stirring rod and washed off any particles into the beaker with a wash bottle. Once the mixture had cooled we poured out as much of the clear liquid as possible without losing the solid. We washed the solid by adding 100mL of distilled water and stirred the mixture. We allowed the solid to settle at the bottom before pouring out the clear liquid. We repeated this step with another 100mL of distilled water, keeping the …show more content…
Results
Table 1 – Reactions and evidence of the reaction occurring
Steps
Reaction and chemical equation
Evidence for the reaction
1
Copper (s) + Nitric acid (aq) Nitrogen dioxide(g) + water (l)
Cu(s)+4HNO3(aq) (CuNO3)2+2NO2(g)+H2O(l)
- Colour change from blue to green
- Orange gas was emitted
2
Copper nitrate (aq) + Sodium Hydroxide (aq) Copper Hydroxide + Sodium Nitrate
Cu(NO3)2(aq)+2NaOH(aq) CuOH(s)+2NaNo3(aq)
- Colour change from green to blue
- Gas was produced, vapour
3
Copper hydroxide (s) + heat (aq) Copper Oxide (s) + water(l)
Cu(OH)2(aq)+heat(aq) CuO(s)+H2O(g)
- Colour change, from blue to black
- Black precipitate was formed
4
Copper oxide (s) + Sulfuric acid (aq) Copper sulphate (aq) +Water (l)
CuO(s)+H2SO4(aq) CuSO4(aq)+H2O(l)
- Colour change from black to light blue
5
Copper sulphate (aq) + Zinc (s) Zinc sulphate (aq) + Copper (s)
CuSO4(aq)+Zn(s) ZnSO4(aq)+Cu(s)
- Bubbling
- The colour became clear
Table 2 – Mass of recovered copper
Mass of empty beaker
100.9g
Mass of beaker and copper
103.3g
Mass of copper (recovered)
2.4g
Figure 1 - Percent yield of