Aim: To produce copper sulfate salts by reacting copper oxide with an acid.
Equipment:
- Copper oxide powder
- Dilute (0.5mol L-1) sulfuric acid
- 50ml measuring cylinder
- two 100ml beakers
- bunden burner
- tripod
- gauze mat
- funnel
- filter paper
- thermometer
- spatula
- evaporating basin
- stirring rod
- Add 200mL of sulfuric acid to a 100mL beaker. Heat the acid until it reaches 70.C. Turn off bunsen burner. Do not boil the acid.
- Once heated, use a spatula to add pea-sized portions of copper oxide to the beaker. Stir the mixture for 30 seconds.
- Repeat step 2 until no more will dissolve. Allow the beaker to cool.
- Fold the filter paper and place it in the funnel. Place the filter Place the filter funnel into the second beaker.
- Make sure the beaker is cool enough to hold at the top. The contents should still be hot. You may need your teacher to complete this step.
- Gently swirl the contents of the beaker to mix, and then pour into the filter paper in the funnel. Allow to filter through.
- Rinse the beaker you used to heat the mixture previously, and place it back on top of your tripod filled with 50-60mL of water.
- Place the evaporating basin on top of this beaker and carefully pour some of the solution from the other beaker into the evaporating basin.
- Gently heat the beaker until the solution in the evaporating basin has reduced by half.
- Leave the evaporating basin to cool. Once cool, move the evaporating basin to a warm place where it will not be disturbed (e.g. A window-sill) and observe over the next few days.
Observations:
