CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF COPPER AND PERCENT YIELD

Safety:

•Goggles are required for the duration of the lab – including clean-up.
•Certain portions of this lab must be completed under the fume hood!
•Be careful with sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions.
•No open flames near ethanol or acetone!

Discussion:

Producing chemicals usually involve reactions with several steps. The desired product must be separated
and purified from unwanted side products. Some methods of separation, such as filtration, decantation,
extraction, and sublimation were discussed earlier. This experiment is designed as a quantitative
evaluation of your individual laboratory skills. At the same time you will become more acquainted with
fundamental types of chemical reactions -- redox reactions, decomposition and metathesis (double-
replacement) reactions. By means of these reactions, you carry out several chemical transformations
involving copper. Your goal is to convert a copper wire through the series of reactions and then recover as
much of the original sample as possible. The chemical reactions involved are the following.

Cu(s) + 4 HNO3(aq) → Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2 NO2(g) + 2 H2O(l) Redox [1]

Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2 NaOH(aq) → Cu(OH)2(s) + 2 NaNO3(aq) Metathesis [2]
Cu(OH)2(s) -Δ→ CuO(s) + H2O(l) Dehydration [3] (decomposition)
CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) → CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l) Metathesis [4]
CuSO4(aq) + Zn(s) → ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s) Redox [5]

Each of these reactions proceeds to completion. Metathesis reactions (double replacement) proceed to
completion whenever one of the components is removed from the solution, such as in the formation of a gas
or an insoluble precipitate (driving forces). Reactions [2&4] are examples. Reaction [5] proceeds to
completion because zinc has a lower oxidation potential than copper (zinc is more reactive). The Zn(s)
becomes oxidized as it reduces the Cu+2(aq) to produce Cu(s). (Single replacement reactions are “redox”
reactions)

The percent yield of the copper can be calculated by:

mass of copper recovered

Percentage recovery = x 100%
mass of copper wire

Materials:
piece of copper wire 0.001g & 0.01g balance concentrated HNO3
2 - 250 mL beakers evaporating dish 3.0 M NaOH
stirring rod(w/ rubber policeman) beaker tongs 6.0 M H2SO4
2 – 100mL graduated cylinders ethanol distilled water (wash bottle)
crucible tongs acetone hot plate (one per lab station)
ring stand and ring wire gauze Bunsen burner/hose 100mL beaker

Note: Set up ring stand, ring, wire gauze and Bunsen burner for part 3.
Heat about 250mL of distilled water on the hot plate for part 6 (share hot plate).
Procedure: Numbers in ( ) show where data/observations should be recorded in the data table.
1. Obtain a clean piece of copper wire. Find the mass to the nearest 0.001 g. (1) Loosely coil/fold the wire
and place it in a CLEAN 250 mL beaker so it sits flat on the bottom. (label the beaker with initials)
2. IN THE HOOD, add ~5mL of conc. HNO3 to the beaker. Bring ~100mL of dist. H2O in a 100mL beaker.

3. After the reaction is complete (all Cu must react), add about 100 mL distilled H2O. Describe the reaction
(6) as to color change, evolution of gas, and change in temperature (exothermic or endothermic). Fumes
are toxic! Carefully carry the beaker back to your station.

4. Add 30 mL of 3.0 M NaOH to the solution in your beaker and describe the reaction (7).

5. Test with litmus paper to be sure that the solution is basic (red blue = basic). Do this by dipping the
stirring rod into the solution and then dabbing it on the red litmus paper. If it is not, add NaOH in 5 mL
increments until solution is basic.

6. Carefully heat the solution on the ringstand -- while stirring with a glass stirring rod – do NOT boil.
Describe the reaction and changes that occur (8).

7. Allow the black CuO to settle; then decant the supernatant liquid (liquid above the precipitate).
Do NOT try to pour off every bit of the liquid or your will end up losing some of the CuO.

8. Get about 200 mL of very hot distilled water. Add about 100 mL stir, and then allow the CuO to settle.
Decant. Repeat. What substances are you removing by washing and decanting (9)?

9. Add 25 mL of 3.0 M H2SO4. Describe this reaction. What compound is forming? (10) Hint: [4]

Reduction with Zinc:

8. Weigh about 2g of 30-mesh zinc metal in a plastic weigh boat (0.01g balance). Take the beaker to the
fume hood. Add all of the zinc at once to your solution and stir until the evolution of gas slows.
Describe what happens to the solution and explain what is happening in reaction [5]. (11) What gas
formed during this process? (hint: What substance was added in excess in the previous step?) When
the reaction slows return the beaker to your station.

Recovery of Copper:
10. Find the mass of an evaporating dish to the nearest 0.001g).

11. When gas evolution has ceased, carefully decant the solution and transfer the precipitate (copper) to
the porcelain evaporating dish. Use a wash bottle to remove ALL of the Cu – accurate results depend
on this step!

12. Wash the precipitated copper with about 5 mL of distilled water, allow to settle, carefully decant the
solution, and repeat the process. What are you removing by washing (12)?

13. Wash the precipitate with about 5 mL of ethanol (which helps to remove water). Allow the precipitate
to settle, and decant the ethanol.

14. Finally, wash the precipitate with about 5 mL of acetone, allow the precipitate to settle, and decant
the acetone from the precipitate. Describe the solid precipitate (13).

15. Allow 5 minutes for the copper to finish drying (the acetone speeds up the drying process). Place in
 drying oven if necessary. Then mass the porcelain evaporating dish with the copper. Determine
the mass of your recovered copper and compare to the mass of your original sample.

*NOTE: all decanted solutions may be washed down the sink. Copper may be placed in the trash.

AP Chemistry Name(s) __________________________________

Chemical Reactions of Copper and Percent Yield
Pre-lab:
Briefly explain what happens during each of the following types of reactions.

Redox

Metathesis

Decomposition (by dehydration)

Data & Observations:

1. Mass of copper initial ___________

2. Mass of copper and evaporating dish ___________
3. Mass of evaporating dish ___________
4. Mass of copper recovered ___________
5. % Cu recovered ___________

6. Describe the reaction of Cu(s) + HNO3(aq) → Why must the nitric acid be in excess?

7. Describe the reaction Cu(NO3)2(aq) + NaOH(aq) → Identify the LR and the ER.

8. Describe the reaction Cu(OH)2(s) -Δ→ What type of reaction is occurring?

9. What are you removing by this washing? (Identify specific compounds/ions. Excess vs spectators)

10. Describe the reaction CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) → What copper compound formed in the solution?

11. Describe the reaction CuSO4(aq) + Zn(s) → Zn is added in excess. What is its purpose?

How is excess Zn removed? What gas is produced during this step? ____________
How/why did it form? (write the equation for the reaction)

12. What are you removing by washing during this step? (Excess? spectator?)

13. Describe the recovered copper before and after drying. Is it uniform in appearance?
Calculations:

Mass of Cu Recovered % Cu Recovered

Conclusion:
Discuss your results. What percent of the original sample was recovered? (Can you really recover more
than 100%) Identify and discuss specific sources of error and how these errors affected your results.
Explain how the errors could be minimized or eliminated if procedures were repeated