Cu Later

Reaction 1
Purpose: To show the law of conversation of matter
1 Cu + 4 HNO3 1 Cu(NO3)2 + 2 NO2 + 2 H2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Write name and period on your beaker

Obtain your copper and label the beaker by weighing the copper
Place the beaker in the fume hood
Add 10mL of the HNO3
Record observations

When the HNO3 was poured into the beaker, an orange-brown gas was released
(NO2). The clear acid then turned green in the beaker. The copper began to bubble
and give off some heat. The smell of the products smelt a little like chlorine.
Because the solid and liquid released the NO 2 gas we can say that the reaction was
exothermic. Finally, after letting the solution sit, the color turned into a light blue.

Reaction 2
Purpose: To react copper nitrate with sodium hydrate to produce copper II hydroxide
1 Cu(NO3)2 + 1 H2O + 2 NaOH 1 Cu(OH)2 + 2 NaNO3 + 1 H2O
1. Obtain your sample and put on goggles
2. Determine how much 1.5 M NaOH you will need to neutralize the excess
HNO3 (who equation and math)
3. Obtain and mass 3-4 ice cubes and place in beaker
4. Start adding the NaOH in a few mL at a time until all the acid is
neutralized and the Copper II Hydroxide is produced
5. Use pH paper to make sure your solution is basic.
The solution turned blue and chunky when we added in the NaOH. When the
substance was mixing the beaker was giving off heat. Also, the solution eventually
turned into a darker blue. The copper, reacting with the NaOH, turned white and
chunky. Finally, the mixture had a bad smell.

Reaction 3
Purpose: To convert copper II hydroxide to Copper II oxide with heat
1 Cu(OH)2 + 1 H2O + 1 NaNO3 1 CuO + 2 H2O + 1 NaNO3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Obtain sample and put on goggles

Set up hot plate with ring stand
Add 30 ML of water and heat until black/grey
Remove & Cool
Place back under flame hood

When heating the substance slowly turned from blue to black. While heating, the
substance made a cracking sound. Then the solution began to have a sand-like
texture at the bottom, the CuO. The solution let out steam as it gained an ash like
look. There were no odors that I could smell at the time.

Reaction 4
Purpose: To convert Copper II oxide to Copper III Sulfate
1 CuO + 1 H2SO4 1 CuSO4 + 1 H2O
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Obtain sample but do not mix (put on goggles)

Remove clear liquid with dropper
Add 25 mL of 3M Sulfuric acid
Stir
Watch for color change
Place back in fume hood

When mixing the sulfuric acid, the color started as black but then quickly turned
blue. The color began to turn dark green and went to a really light blue. As the acid
was poured it, the solution began to thin out. Throughout the mixture there was an
occasional amount of bubbles as the H2O began to form. Throughout the reaction,
there was no odor or sounds.

Reaction 5
Purpose: To convert Copper II sulfate into Copper metal
1 CuSO4 + 1 Zn 1 ZnSO4 + 1 Cu
1. Determine how much Zinc you need to react all of your Copper II sulfate, then
double that amount
2. Get sample and put on googles
3. Measure the amount of Zinc
4. Place Zinc in beaker and stir (takes about 15 min)
5. Blue your copper in beaker
When mixing, the Zinc turns a darker color. There are also bubbles present along
from the steam of the mixture. If you feel the beaker, the reaction became relatively
hot. There was a smell that was bad that also came out when adding in the zinc.
Finally, the colors of the reactants turned from a murky blue to a brownish red.

Reaction 6
Purpose: To remove any excess Zn
1 Cu + 2 HCl + 1 Zn 1 Cu + 1 ZnCl2 + 1 H2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pour off clear liquid (dropper is okay)

Add 25 mL of the 2M hydrochloric acid
This should dissolve any remaining Zn metal (silver)
Rinse your sample at least 3 times to remove any acid residue
Place back under fume hood to dry

The acid looked clear and had a texture similar to water. When combining, the
reactants mixed and had a light bronze color. After time the solution became clear
with the copper at the bottom again. At the end of the reaction, there was no more
acid present. Rinsing out the acid residue allowed exposure of the Copper.

Conclusion
In this lab we begin with an amount of copper and in the last reaction, obtain the
same amount of copper. The law of conservation of matter states that matter
cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. In our lab, the beaker
became our closed system allowing us to take things in and out. Starting with
Copper, we added and took out substances, but because of the initial copper wasnt
directly taken out or put in, it should be the same in the end. This is because extra
copper cannot be created or destroyed between any of the reactions.
This lab did not go well for me. I had missed the preparation day and Reaction
#2 and also the explanation for another reaction. But I was able to understand how
the lab worked. In the end we ended up with 0.75g of Cu from the initial 1.53g Cu.
Although we did the steps correctly, we may have poured out some copper or left
some copper in the beaker. However, were able to get a good copper in the end.
In this lab, many of the procedures contained steps involving pouring something
down a sink. For example in reaction 4, you were supposed to remove the NaNO 3
using a dropper. However, if you accidentally took some of the CuO in the dropper,
then the final Copper amount would be less. Another mistake would be putting in
too little of an Acid. By doing this the acid would be the limiting amount and the
reacted copper would be less. And with not all the copper reacting, there would be
less copper in the end and other substances in the reactions.
If a snowman is built outside and it disappearing is a related example to this lab.
Just as matter not being able to be created or destroyed, a snowman was not
destroyed or made from nowhere. If it turns into a puddle, it just means it has
changed state and not taken away. Also mean that the snowman was not made out
of nothing but made from snow which was changed from water. If a paper is burned
then it seems like the paper is losing mass. But because matter cannot be created
nor destroyed, it is actually just changing to ash, carbon dioxide, and water vapor,
all with a combined mass as what the paper was.