Chemical Reactions of Copper Lab

Chemical Reactions of Copper Lab
Purpose:
In this lab we will put a sample of copper metal through several chemical
reactions and attempt to end up with the same mass of copper that we started with. This
will help to teach us about various chemical reactions by seeing them first-hand, and it
will train us to execute laboratory procedures very carefully in order to obtain as high a
percent yield of copper as possible. Additionally, observing our copper sample
throughout different phases of the lab will show us its color and other properties in
solution and various compounds.
Theory:
This experiment is based on the law of conservation of mass, which states that
matter cannot be created or destroyed in normal chemical reactions. Using this law to
predict the outcome of our reactions, we should expect that the mass of copper that we
obtain at the end of the experiment will be equal to the initial mass of copper before any
reactions are carried out on it. However, because no experiment is perfect, we will
probably not achieve a 100% yield of copper even if it is theoretically possible.
In order to test the law of conservation of mass, we will be putting copper through
five chemical reactions to see that it retains its mass through each one. This will make
use of several types of chemical reactions including redox, double displacement, and
decomposition reactions. By using these reactions and the principles of stoichiometry,
we can observe the copper as it changes from one reaction to the next and once again see
that none of it should be lost over the course of the experiment.
(All unlabeled phases are aqueous)

Reaction 1: redox- Copper (II) nitrate forms from copper metal
Cu0(s) + HN5+O3  Cu2+(NO3)2 + N4+O2(g) + H2(g)
Reduction
(3e + 3H + HN5+O3  H20 + N4+O2 + H2O)2
- +
Oxidation
(2HNO3 + Cu  Cu2+(NO3)2 + 2H+ + 2e-)3
0
Overall
8HN5+O3 + 3Cu0(s)  2H20(g) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l) + 3Cu2+(NO3)2
Reaction 2: double displacement- Copper (II) hydroxide forms from copper (II) nitrate
Cu(NO3)2 + 2NaOH  Cu(OH)2(s) + 2NaNO3
Cu + 2NO3- + 2Na+ + 2OH-  Cu(OH)2(s) + 2Na+ + 2NO3-
2+
Cu2+ + 2OH-  Cu(OH)2(s)
Reaction 3: decomposition- Copper (II) hydroxide breaks down into copper (II) oxide
Cu(OH)2(s)  CuO(s) + H2O(l)
Reaction 4: double displacement- Copper (II) sulfate forms from copper (II) oxide
CuO(s) + H2SO4  CuSO4 + H2O(l)
CuO(s) + 2H+  Cu2+(aq) + H2O(l)
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Reaction 5: redox- Copper metal from copper (II) sulfate
Cu2+SO4 + Zn0(s)  Cu0(s) + Zn2+SO4
Cu2+ + Zn0(s)  Cu0(s) + Zn2+
Materials:
1.00g copper metal
Erlenmeyer flask
16 M nitric acid
Fume hood
Hot hands
Hot plate
6 M sodium hydroxide solution
Litmus paper
Stirring rod
Beaker
6 M sulfuric acid
Zinc metal
12 M hydrochloric acid
Evaporating dish
Methanol
Acetone
Drying oven
Procedure:
Obtain a 1.00g sample of copper, add it to a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask and weigh
it. Under a fume hood, pour 5 ml of 16 M nitric acid into the flask with the copper
already inside it, using a dropper to pour the acid onto the sides of the flask in order to
dissolve any residual copper. Swirl to dissolve. Tilt the flask to the side to pour out the
brown gas, and then heat it on a hot plate to draw out any additional gas. Once this cools,
add 50 ml of deionized water to the solution, then also add roughly 11 ml of 6 M sodium
hydroxide solution or until red litmus paper turns blue when it comes in contact with the
solution. Pour all of the solution into a beaker; then heat it on a hot plate until a black
precipitate forms. Let this settle and cool; then decant away the liquid. Add 100 ml of
hot deionized water to the precipitate then let it settle again and decant. Slowly pour 15
ml of 6 M sulfuric acid into the beaker until the precipitate dissolves into a blue aqueous
solution. Add a 3.5g sample of zinc metal to the solution, and swirl it until the mixture is
colorless. Then mix in 20 ml of 12 M hydrochloric acid and wait until the reaction stops
producing gas. Decant away the liquid. Add 20 ml of deionized water to the precipitate
and then decant it away; do this twice. Move the copper to an evaporating dish, and then
wash it with 10 ml methanol. Decant, then do the same with 10 ml acetone. Put the dish
in a drying oven. Finally, remove the dish after it dries and weigh the copper sample.
Data and Observations:
Mass of flask and copper 102.53g
Mass of flask (empty) 101.55g
Mass of copper (start) .98g
Mass of copper recovered .61g
Percent recovery of copper 62%
Copper (II) nitrate from copper metal: When the nitric acid was first added, thick brown
smoke erupted from the flask. The copper turned green, and then dissolved into a
blue liquid after heating.
Copper (II) hydroxide from copper (II) nitrate: Every time sodium hydroxide was added
to the solution, and worm-like precipitate formed that dispersed into the rest of the
mixture as it was stirred. Eventually the solution turned a dark, murky blue and
was tested to have a pH of 11.
Copper (II) oxide from copper (II) hydroxide: As the mixture was heated, a sponge-like
black precipitate quickly formed that settled at the bottom of the beaker to look
like fine black sand.
Copper (II) sulfate from copper (II) oxide: When the sulfuric acid was added to the black
precipitate, it dissolved it forming a very clear blue aqueous solution.
Regeneration of copper metal from copper (II) sulfate: The solution bubbled and
steamed violently as the zinc was added. A red, clumpy, precipitate formed.
After hydrochloric acid was added the solution was a very light bluish green.
Once the copper dried it looked like red rubber pellets.
Calculations:
Percent Yield
Percent Error
Discussion:
Some error did occur in our lab because we ended up with less than a 100% yield,
meaning that the copper sample we ended up with was smaller than the one we started
with. At the end we had .61g of copper when we were supposed to have about .98g. So
somewhere in the lab we definitely lost some of our copper sample.
The error and lower than expected percent yield in our lab could have been due to
one of several reasons. First, the copper sample that we started with was old and had
been exposed to air. So some of the copper that we began with may have been already
oxidized and thus less pure, lowering the amount of actual copper in the sample. Next, as
we added nitric acid to the Erlenmeyer, we had to dissolve small amounts of copper that
stuck to the side of the flask by using a dropper which came into contact with the side of
the flask and ended up carrying trace amounts of blue liquid with it, which was copper in
solution that was then lost from our sample. Later, as we decanted water off of the black
copper (II) oxide precipitate, the water poured very small amounts of the sand-like
precipitate with it, once again decreasing our total amount of copper. Lastly, when we
added zinc metal to our copper (II) sulfate and stirred it, the water did not turn completely
clear, but instead remained a light blue, indicating that there was still copper in the
solution that did not form a precipitate and therefore was also lost from our sample.
Quantitatively, the result of the problems with our experiment was a 38% error.
This is much higher than the desired less than 10% error and may have been avoided had
we been more precise in handling our copper throughout the lab and payed more attention
to not losing the small amounts of copper that made a difference in the end.
Questions:
1.
(All unlabeled phases are aqueous)
Redox
H2O 2 + I-  I02 + H2O2-(l)
-
Reduction
2e + H2O 2 + 2H+  2 H2O2-(l)
- -
Oxidation
2I-  I02 + 2e-
Overall
H2O-2 + 2H+ + 2I-  2 H2O2-(l) + I02
Double Displacement
Ba(NO3) 2 + Na2CrO4  2NaNO3 + BaCrO4(s)
Ba2+ + CrO42-  BaCrO4(s)
2. For a double displacement reaction to go to completion, neither reactant can be

limiting, a solid, liquid, or gas must be formed, and there must be some energy to drive
the reaction.
3. Percent yield is the decimal equivalent of actual amount of a given substance that is
present when a reaction is complete divided by the theoretical amount of that substance
that can be formed. The maximum percent yield in any reaction is 100%. Percent error is
the opposite amount of percent yield because it is the amount of a substance lost divided
by the theoretical amount.
4. Cu + 2HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + 2H+
5.a.
b.
c.
d.
6.
Conclusion:
Some of our copper must have been left unreacted because we ended up with a
smaller mass of copper than we started with. However, we did complete all of the steps
of the experiment and retain most of our copper even after it went through five reactions.
So we carried out the lab somewhat successfully.
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Chemical Reactions of Copper Lab

(All unlabeled phases are aqueous)

Cu2+ + 2OH-  Cu(OH)2(s)

2. For a double displacement reaction to go to completion, neither reactant can be

4. Cu + 2HNO3  Cu(NO3)2 + 2H+

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