Copper Cycle Technical Abstract

1604 Words7 Pages
Re-formation of Copper Metal through Chemical Reactions of the Copper Cycle Evon Looper Introduction Copper is a necessary metal in human development, however in high concentrations it can become a toxin for both human and ecosystem health. Because of its abundance on Earth, it is important for scientists to examine the properties and characteristics of copper. One of these characteristics is the ability to re-form copper metal after going through a series of different chemical reactions that make up the Copper Cycle. Materials and Methods The experiment began by measuring 0.2455 g of copper turnings using an analytical balance, which was transferred to a 50 mL beaker. The beaker was then moved to a stir plate with a stir bar and held in place by a ring stand. A funnel attached to an aspirator hose was fixed above to serve as a fume hood. With the aspirator and stir plate both on, 4.79 mL of 6 M HNO3 was added slowly to the beaker until the copper dissolved and the solution turned a light blue color. The hood could now be removed and 10.02 mL of distilled water was added to the solution. While stirring, 6 M NaOH was added drop-wise until the solution became basic, turning red litmus paper blue. A total of 3.84 mL NaOH was required to achieve this; the resulting solution appearing dark blue with cloudy precipitates. The solution was then heated gently atop a hot plate to catalyze the next reaction, with care taken to assure all residue was kept off the walls of the beaker. Heating continued until the reaction reached completion and the solution slowly changed from blue to a dark green and finally black. At this point the heat was turned off to allow the black solid in the beaker, CuO, to settle to the bottom. One final scrape of the beaker walls pushed the remaining solid down into the solution. Once settled, liquid sitting on top of the solid was

More about Copper Cycle Technical Abstract

Open Document