POST-LAB DISCUSSION

Experiment 2 – The
Copper Cycle: The
Science of Change in a
Nutshell
 Physical or Chemical?

A physical change does not alter the composition

or identity of a substance.
sugar dissolving
ice melting
in water
A chemical change alters the composition or
identity of the substance(s) involved.

hydrogen burns in air to

form water

1.6
 Physical Change vs. Chemical
Change
 Physical change
 Change in state (such as melting, freezing, sublimation,
condensation and evaporation)
 Change in shape (such as drawing copper into a wire)
 Mixing of two substances (such as salt and water)
 Breaking of a solid (such as glass)
 Change in size (expansion)
 Chemical change
 change of state (cooking eggs)
 change in color (rust)
 formation of a precipitate
 evolution of heat (mixing acid and base)
 evolution of gas
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 1. Dissolution of copper
• Stage 2. Preparation of copper hydroxide
• Stage 3. Conversion of copper hydroxide to
copper oxide
• Stage 4. Conversion of copper oxide to Copper
sulfate
• Stage 5. Conversion of copper sulfate to copper
metal
• Stage 6. Recovery of the copper metal
• Stage 7. Validation of the recovered product
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 1. Dissolution of copper

Cu metal + nitric acid (HNO3)

- brown gas evolved
- copper dissolved
- clear solution turned to blue solution
- Cu2+
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 2. Copper(II) Nitrate to Copper(II)
Hydroxide

Cu2+ + sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

- Formation of blue precipitate
- Cu(OH)2
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 3. Conversion of copper hydroxide to
copper oxide

Cu(OH)2 + heat
- blue precipitate turned into black particles
- clear supernatant liquid
- CuO
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 4. Conversion of copper oxide to copper
sulfate

CuO + sulfuric acid (H2SO4)

- blue solution was formed again
- black particles dissolved
- Cu2+
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 5. Copper(II) Sulfate to Copper Metal

Cu2+ + Zinc powder (Zn)

- Blue solution turned colorless
- Formation of brown precipitate
- Evolution of gas (bubbles)
- Evolution of heat
- Solid Cu
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 6. Recovery of the copper metal
Brown/reddish brown product is dried
- Removal of water
- Reddish brown solid
- Cu (to be verified)
 Copper Cycle
• Stage 7. Validation of the recovered product
Recovered product + HNO3
- Product dissolved
- Bubbling occurred

Solution turned blue - Cu2+

-  copper is the recovered product
 Copper Cycle
• Percent Recovery
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑
% 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 = 𝑥100
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

Is percent recovery 100%?

What are some factors which may lead
to low or excess recovery?
• Decantation
– lost some sample by pouring
– Some sample adhere to stirring rod
– It is difficult to have all CuO settle to bottom and remove all
liquid.
• Approximate volumes of acids and bases were added.
• Assume excess in all cases and removed the excess by
washing.
• Extremely hard to remove excess Zn
• Difficult to remove all recovered copper from bottom of
centrifuge tube