EXPERIMENT 1

TYPES OF CHEMICAL REACTION

Galido,Noel Joseph.,Regacho, Geraldine Mae.,
Tunac,Nathalie Faye M.,Zinampan, Julienne Anne L.
February 17,2015
I

INTRODUCTION
Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. Chemical transformations
through chemical reactions are keys to the recovery as well as formation of substances. Thus
chemistry is undoubtedly one of the most important branches of science. Without chemistry, the
processing of new products as well as the improvement of existing ones can be hardly done
(Redmore, 1980).
Every substance or element that enters a chemical reaction has its own unique set of
physical and chemical properties that help distinguish it from other forms of matter. It loses its
original qualities as it undergoes a chemical change. A new substance is usually produced after
such change. Chemical change takes place when elements form the compound and during
chemical reactions where one or more elements or compounds react to form one or more
different elements or compounds. The original atoms are preserved, but a new substance with
different composition from the original material is produced. This process that brings about a
chemical change is called a chemical reaction (Monserate, et al., 2009). No atoms disappear or
are changed to different kinds of atoms; however, that is, a reaction is simply a process of
rearrangement of atoms. This illustrates the Law of Conservation of Mass (Matter). This law
states that in a chemical reaction, mass (matter) is neither created nor destroyed (Redmore,1980).
Both matter and energy are not created or destroyed during a chemical change but are simply
transformed from one form to another.
A chemical equation shows what elements or compounds are reacting (reactants) and
what new elements or compounds are being formed (products). In order to obey the law of
conservation of mass, there must be exactly the same number of each atom on each side of a
correct chemical equation. When we have the same number of each atom on each side of the
equation we say that the chemical equation is balanced.
Chemical changes involve one or more chemical reactions, and with simple inorganic
compounds these may be classified into following types: combination reaction, decomposition
reaction, single replacement, double displacement or metathesis and combustion reaction.
During these chemical reactions, chemical properties are observed when the substance
undergoes a change in composition that is, the substance undergoes a chemical change
(Redmore, 1980). There are different indicators of chemical change which are helpful in
determining whether that element or a compound successfully undergoes a change in
composition and identity. Such physical evidences include the production of heat and light,
production of gas, formation of a precipitate, production of mechanical energy, production of
electricity and change in color. All changes in nature, whether physical or chemical, are
accompanied by changes in energy

On the other hand, it is important that the chemical reactions must take place completely
to allow for the formation of the desired product. This experiment hence is to quantitatively test
the students laboratory skills in carrying out a series of chemical reactions, so extra care must be
done in performing the procedures. The efficiency with which the group recovers the
regenerated copper metal will be a measure of the laboratory technique executed correctly by the
students.
OBJECTIVES
This experiment sought to enable the students tocarry out and observe a series of
reactions involving the element copper known as copper cycle;observe the four classes of
chemical reactions as synthesis, decomposition, single and double replacement and to write
balanced equations for these various reactions;see evidence of chemical change and the
conservation of matter;gain familiarity with the common or basic laboratory practices and
laboratory techniques and procedures; recover as much of the original copper as possible; and
apply the concept of recycling by taking copper metal through a series of reactions that
regenerates elemental copper and per cent yield in the experiment.

II METHODOLOGY
A. Dissolution of Copper
For the dissolution of copper, a metallic copper (wire or granules) which weighed about
0.9 g was placed into the Erlenmeyer flask. The mixture was added with 4 ml 6 M of Nitric acid
HNO3
(
) inside the fume hood. The contents were heated using a hot plate and brown vapors
formed as the metal was dissolved creating a blue solution. Heating the solution was continued
until no more brown fumes were seen. The solution was cooled to room temperature and then
added 4ml of distilled water.
B. Preparation of Copper(II) hydroxide
For the preparation of Copper (II) hydroxide, 6 M Sodium hydroxide was added to the
solution, drop by drop, until it becomes basic and turned the red litmus paper into blue. While
adding NaOH (Sodium hydroxide), the contents of the flask was stirred or swirled. A light blue
precipitate Cu(OH )2 was formed.
C. Preparation of Copper (II) oxide.
The contents of the flask were stirred while being heated on a hot plate. In about 20 to 30
minutes the blue solution was converted to a black Copper (II) oxide. The black solution was
cooled to room temperature. The solution was rinse with water and collected the rinse in the
flask. The black precipitate was transferred to a funnel with folded filter paper for filtration

process. 1 to 2 ml of distilled water was used in collecting the precipitate left on the flask. The
filtrate was discarded.
D. Converting Copper (II) oxide to Copper(II) sulfate
To convert Copper (II) oxide to Copper(II) sulfate, 6 ml of 6 M

H 2 SO 4

(Sulfuric

acid) was poured into a 50 ml beaker. The black precipitate and the filter paper were transferred
to the acid solution using a spatula. The filter paper was rinsed with 1 to 2 ml of distilled water
and stirred the mixture using a stirring rod until the precipitate was completely dissolved. Since
some precipitates were stuck on the funnel, the funnel was rinsed with 1 to 2 ml of 6 M sulfuric
acid and with 1 to 2 ml of distilled water over a beaker.
E. Recovering the Metallic Copper
To recover the metallic copper, zinc powder was weighed on a pre-weighed watch glass
using a weighing scale, and then added small portions of zinc powder to the Copper (II) sulfate
solution inside the fume hood while being stirred. Hydrogen gas and formations of copper metal
were observed.
To test for the completeness of the reaction, drops or 1 ml of ammonia (

NH 3

) were

placed in a small test tube and then added 2 to 3 drops of the Copper (II) sulfate in the test tube
and observed if a blue color appeared. If a blue color appeared this means that the reaction is not
yet complete so small portions of zinc powder were again added and again tested using
ammonia.
When the reaction was complete, 5 ml of 6 m Hydrochloric acid (HCl) was added to the
solution in the beaker and was stirred with a glass rod. The solution was allowed to stand for 5
minutes and stirred occasionally. Using a funnel and a filter paper, the black precipitate was
transferred to the funnel, over a beaker, and was filtrated. 2 ml portions of distilled water were
used to rinse the beaker to make sure no precipitate was left. The precipitate then was placed out
on a watch glass where it was allowed to be air-dried. After a couple of days, the students
weighed again the copper and recorded the mass on the report sheet.

III. RESULTS
In a world with dwindling natural resources, it is important to recover and recycle
valuable metals such as copper. Copper is a soft metal with a characteristic color that we often
call copper-colored, a bright orange-brown color. The experiment was designed to work in a
cycle through a series of chemical reactions, so that the end product is approximately the same as
the starting material Copper.

This presents the results and observations gathered during the experiment from a 5 series
of chemical reactions.
A. Dissolution of Copper
A 0.9g of copper granules when mixed with 4ml of HNO 3 took 59 minutes and 30
seconds of heating to dissolve the metal completely until no brown fumes were seen. When
HNO3 was added to the copper wire, a blue solution was formed and a gas evolved. The reaction
was exothermic or heat was also evolved.
Expressed in words and chemical equation, the reaction is
Copper + Nitric acid Copper (II) nitrate + Nitrogen dioxide + Water
Cu + 4HNO3 2Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O
B. Preparation of Copper (II) hydroxide
After adding 165 drops of 6M NaOH to the solution of the dissolved copper metal, it
slowly formed a light blue precipitate. As the light blue precipitate continued to form, a red
litmus paper was obtained and found that the solution turned basic. It turned the red litmus paper
to blue. Moreover, the reaction of nitric acid and sodium hydroxide, a neutralization reaction
produced considerable heat. Thus the process was done slowly and with caution.
The chemical equation for the reaction is
Copper (II) nitrate + Sodium hydroxide Copper (II) hydroxide + Sodium nitrate
Cu(NO3)2 + 2NaOH Cu(OH)2 +2 NaNO3
C. Preparation of Copper (II) oxide
After the solution became basic, this new solution was heated using a hotplate for about 6
minutes until the light blue precipitate turned into black precipitate known as Copper (II) oxide.
Copper (II) hydroxide was dehydrated with heat to form black, insoluble Copper (II) oxide.
The chemical equation is
Copper (II) hydroxide Copper (II) oxide + Water
Cu(OH)2

CuO + H2O

The black precipitate was then filtered and the filtrate was discarded. By adding distilled
water to this new precipitate and then filtered, all stray ions and other precipitates except the
desired CuO were removed. Copper (II) oxide (CuO) was collected as the residue on the filter
paper.
D. Converting Copper(II) oxide to Copper(II) sulfate
When 6ml of H2SO4 was added to the black precipitate (CuO), it slowly formed into dark
green solution until all the precipitate were dissolved, leaving a blue solution of Copper (II)
sulfate.
Copper (II) oxide + Sulfuric acid Copper (II) sulfate + Water
CuO(s) + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O
E. Recovering the Metallic Copper
The Copper (II) sulfate solution was mixed with zinc powder and gas evolved quickly
and Zinc sulfate was formed. The gas evolved was a sulfate gas. Two to three drops of the
solution were dropped into the ammonia to test for the completion of the reaction. When the
color obtained was still blue, it implied that the reaction was not yet complete. Hence another 2
to 3 drops of solution added with more Zinc was dropped into the ammonia. There was no more
formation of blue color and this marked the completeness of the reaction.
After the reaction was completed, 5ml of HCl was added to the solution and was stirred
occasionally for 5 minutes until all the other zinc powder was dissolved. When there was no
formation of gas, the solution was then filtered and dried until the next lab period. A grayishblack color was obtained after a series of reactions.
The chemical equations to represent the reaction are
CuSO4 + Zn

ZnSO4+ Cu

HCl (excess) + Zn ZnCl2 + H2

The weight of the dried recovered matter was determined to calculate for the percentage
of recovery of copper. The mass of recovered of copper was 5.0 g. It is much greater than the
original mass of the substance used in the reaction. This could mean a percentage yield or
percentage recovery greater than 100%.
Data:
Mass of Copper (TY)
Mass of filter paper

: 0.9 g
: 0.8 g

Mass of Recovered Copper + filter paper : 5.8 g

Mass of Recovered Copper (AY)
: 5.0 g
% Recovery (%yield) =

recovered weight of Cu
initial weight of Cu

% Recovery (%yield) =

5.0 g
0.9 g

x 100 %

x 100 %

% Recovery = 555.55%
Overall, the cycle observed to recover copper was:
HNO3
Cu

NaOH
Cu(NO3)2

heat
Cu(OH)2

CuO

H2SO4
CuSO4

Zn
With the above reaction cycle of Copper gave the following results: When HNO 3 was
added to the copper wire, a blue solution was formed and a gas evolved. The reaction was
exothermic. When water was added, the solution turned light blue. With the addition of NaOH,
the solution turned blue again. After heating the new solution, a black precipitate formed. By
adding distilled water to this new precipitate and then decanted and filtered, all stray ions and
other precipitates were expected to be removed except the desired CuO. Copper (II) oxide was
collected as the residue found in the filter paper.
When H2SO4 was added, a clear green-blue solution was formed. When zinc was added to
the solution, a pungent gas evolved quickly. Zinc (II) sulfate is present in solution. The gas that
evolved was a sulfate gas. Washing that solution with HCl removed all other ions or precipitates
from the beaker. After the reaction, a copper-brown-colored substance should remain but the
color obtained was grayish-black instead.

IV. DISCUSSION
This part explains the results obtained after the 5 series of chemical reactions.
Copper readily reacts with substances that are strong oxidizers as the aqueous nitric
acid. The brown gas produced by the reaction of copper and nitric acid is nitrogen dioxide.
Copper metal will not react with hydrochloric acid like many of the more reactive metals.
However, it will react with concentrated nitric acid. In this reaction the copper is oxidized to the
Cu2+ ion, and the nitrate ion is reduced to nitrogen dioxide, which is the brown gas. Copper (II)
nitrate will be produced and since it is a water soluble salt, will produce a blue solution. The
solution remains acidic because of an excess of nitric acid used for the reaction. The blue color

of the solution is characteristic of many copper compounds dissolved in water

(http://www2.uncp.edu/home/mcclurem/ptable/copper/cu.htm).

The chemical equation is

Copper + Nitric acid Copper (II) nitrate + Nitrogen dioxide + Water
Cu + 4HNO3 2 Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 2H2O
When the dissolved copper metal was added with NaOH, a light blue precipitate was
formed as a result of the production of copper (II) hydroxide, a solid or a precipitate from a
chemical reaction. The sodium hydroxide, a base, neutralizes the excess nitric acid and then
reacts with the copper ions in the solution. The neutralization reaction produces considerable
heat
Copper (II) nitrate + Sodium hydroxide Copper (II) hydroxide + Sodium nitrate
Cu(NO3)2 + 2NaOH Cu(OH)2 + 2 NaNO3
The Copper (II) nitrate solution made in the first part of the experiment is made basic
with sodium hydroxide. This resulted in the precipitation of Copper (II) hydroxide, a light blue
precipitate. The sodium nitrate produced in the reaction is a water soluble, colorless salt and
remained in solution.
The experiment conducted emphasized and showed that most chemical syntheses involve
separation and purification of the desired product from unwanted side products. Common
methods of separation used to recover Copper were filtration, sedimentation, and extraction.
Aside from these separation techniques, chemical reactions like Oxidation-reduction (redox)
reactions, metathesis, and single replacement to separate copper from copper compounds.
The mass obtained after the reaction was 5.8 g. The amount of matter recovered which is
the actual yield was very much greater than the original mass (0.9 g) of the substance. Based
from or the actual yield obtained, this mass gave a much higher than 100 % value for the percent
yield. According to Chang, R. (2006) percent yield is a measure of how well or how efficient the
reaction proceeded to completion. It is described as the proportion of the actual yield to the
theoretical yield. It is calculated as follows:
% yield =

actual yield
theoretical yeild

x 100 %

There are many sources of error in this experiment. It is possible for the percent yield to
be greater than 100%. This can be due to the fact that when washing was done, the liquid used
was little hence some impurities or unwanted precipitate remained with the desired product.
Excess reactants were not being fully washed off or reacted away at any other point. Moreover,
the greater than 100 % yield occurred when reactions are not allowed to finish. This also
allowed some of the previous unwanted precipitate to remain with the desired product. The
unwanted precipitate will not participate in subsequent reactions, causing a constant unwanted
mass in addition to the desired mass of reaction products. If one is not careful with every step of
the synthesis, this could contribute to the presence of leftover reactants in the final product. The
final product thus is considered impure. There are impurities present ( http://www.yaksic.com/
crcpy6.html). If a significant amount of unwanted precipitates remained in the final copper
precipitate, then the final mass would have been higher than the initial copper mass, causing a
percent yield greater than 100%. The product might have been weighed moist considering the
state of the atmosphere inside the class and therefore included the weight of some of the moisture
and mess up the yield obtained.
Another cause of error and contributed to a greater mass of the recovered matter could be
the addition of more zinc (6.6 grams). More zinc was added since the reaction is not yet
complete when tested with ammonia. Zinc was also added without adding HCl which should be
used to remove the excess Zinc in the mixture. Most were not removed by the little amount of
HCl used.
Factors that can affect percent yield also include temperature and pressure (Chang, 2006).
The lime lapse in heating the substances affected the data gathered. It can also be due to human
error. Failure to read the scale or use the measuring instruments correctly.
On the other hand, the theory associated with this experiment is the atomic theory. The
reason that the same mass of copper will be produced after all of the reactions that occur is
because a constant number of copper molecules were present throughout the experiment. The
original copper sample contained a specific number of moles of copper, and that amount of
copper was present in every reaction, precipitate, and solution. Thus, the same number of moles
of copper was produced in the final reaction because the amount of copper remained constant
throughout the experiment. The atomic theory predicts this behaviour (http://www.yaksic.com/
crcpy6.html). Moreover, it is also related to the Law on Conservation of Mass. The Law of
Conservation of Mass states that there is no detectable change in the total mass of the substance
involved in a chemical change (CHED APSCU Region I, n.d). The experiment proved this theory
by starting with a set mass of copper, reacting it in excess solutions, and then precipitating the
copper back out and comparing the start and end masses. If not for the error encountered in the
experiment, then the mass of copper used must be the same amount recovered after the
experiment.

V. SUMMARRY
The experiment performed demonstrated the different types of chemical reactions and its
such as combination, decomposition, simple replacement and double displacement or metathesis.

This reactions caused chemical change and lead to the formation of new substances. Some
quantitative methods were even included on the experiment to help on the processes of handling
and interpreting of data results collected by the students. The correct writing and balancing of
simple chemical equations were introduced to have better understanding of the formation and
division of the chemicals as guided by the various methods.
The purpose of executing this experiment is to provide intensive knowledge about the
diverse chemical reactions a certain chemical undergoes in order to recover the element Copper
used in the experiment.
Through the 5 series of chemical reactions, the following were the noted observations:
1. HNO3 mixed with copper and was heated, the copper metal was dissolved and a blue
solution was obtained through single displacement reaction.
2. The addition of NaOH to the solution of the dissolved copper metal, a light blue
precipitate started to form and the red litmus paper turned into blue. The Copper (II) hydroxide
was obtained through double replacement or metathesis reaction.
3. Copper (II) hydroxide heated on a hot plate turned light blue precipitate into black
color. The change in color signals that Copper (II) oxide was already formed through
decomposition reaction. It was a dehydration process since heat was applied. Copper(II) oxide
was collected through filtration process.
4. H2SO4 when added to the CuO residue, it slowly formed into a dark green solution
until it attained its blue color which signals that all the precipitate were dissolved forming
Copper (II) sulfate solution through the reaction called double displacement.
5. Zinc powder when mixed with the Copper(II) sulfate solution, gas evolved quickly.
Zinc sulfate was formed. Two to three drops of the solution were dropped in ammonia to test for
the completion of reaction. Until such time that there was no more formation of blue color and
that marked the completeness of the reaction. Then HCl was added to remove all the zinc in the
solution. It was then filtered and dried until the next laboratory period. After a series of
reactions, a grayish-black color was obtained.
The weight was determined to calculate for the percentage of recovery of copper. The
mass obtained after was 5.0 g. It is much greater than the original mass of the substance used in
the reaction. The original mass of the copper which is 0.9 grams was far from the mass of the
recovered copper which is 5.0 g. The percentage yield or percentage recovery for Copper was
computed using the formula given below:
% yield =

recovered weight of Cu
initial weight of Cu

x 100 %

The computed percentage yield was 555.55% . This is due to some errors encountered
in performing the procedures. One obvious reason could be the addition of 6.6 g of zinc powder
to the copper (II) sulfate solution without adding enough HCl to remove excess Zn. In addition,

excess reactants were not being fully washed off or reacted away at any other point. Moreover,
the greater than 100 % yield occurred when reactions are not allowed to finish. Time laps that
were really long and the amount of chemicals added to the solution affected the result of our
experiment.
Setting aside the errors which caused a more that 100% percentage yield, this experiment
had demonstrated the different chemical reaction as well as the Law on Conservation of Mass
(Matter).

VI. REFERENCES
Chang, R. 2006. General Chemistry. 6th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Monserate, J. J. et al. 2009. Chemistry: The Science Where Matter Matters. Philippines: Mutya
Publishing House Inc.
Redmore, F.H. 1980. Fundamentals of Chemistry. Quezon City: Apson Enterprises.
CHED, APSCU Region I. n. d. Getting Ready in Chemistry: A worktext in General and
Inorganic Chemistry for College Students. Philippines

___________________. Chemical Reactions of Copper and Percent Yield.

Retrieved from
http://www.yaksic.com/ crcpy6.html

___________________.The Chemistry of Copper. Retrieved from http://www2.uncp.edu/home/

mcclurem/ptable/copper/cu.htm

POST LAB QUESTIONS

1

What type of process and/or chemical change is observed in A,B,C,D, and E?

A Involved single displacement/single replacement (redox)
B Involved a double replacement reaction/ metathesis
C Involved decomposition reaction
D Involved a double replacement reaction
E Involved a single displacement reaction (redox)

Why must zinc be added very gradually to the solution in procedure E?

Zinc powder must be added very gradually because zinc is a metal which is more
active than copper. So in order to recover the copper from the copper(II) sulfate
solution through single replacement or displacement, it must be added slowly for
its maximum recovery.
3

What is the purpose of the test using ammonia solution?

A test using ammonia solution is a sensitive test for the presence of cuprous ions.
Ammonia therefore is used to determine the presence of Cuprous ions.

Why must HCl be added to the solid after the reaction with zinc dust is completed?
HCl must be added to the solid after the reaction with zinc dust is completed to
haste the removal of the excess zinc in the mixture. Zinc is reactive with HCl
resulting to a vigorous evolution of gas.

Why is it not advisable to dry the copper directly over a Bunsen flame?
It is not advisable to dry the copper directly over a Bunsen flame because when
copper is heated in presence of oxygen or air, it forms oxides of copper which
impure the pure copper. Under high temperature, copper and oxygen can react
together to form Copper(II) oxide.

Calculate the percentage recovery in the experiment. Does your result refute the law of
conservation of matter? Explain.
If you will not get a 100% recovery, it does not necessarily mean that it refutes the
law of conservation of matter. The difference may be due to some loss due to the
instrument used and the person doing the experiment. It may be that mass
obtained is higher than the mass of the original substance to some errors which
mess up the results of the experiment as addition of more Zinc with using
additional HCl. There are unwanted impurities that remained in the product.. The
law of conservation of matter states that matter can be neither created nor
destroyed during a chemical reaction. So generally and usually, the amount of
matter before and after the reaction must be equal.

VII. APPENDICES
A Dissolution of Copper

0.9 g of metallic copper granule with 4mL of 6 M HNO3

B Preparation of Copper (II) hydroxide

Addition of 6M Sodium hydroxide until the solution is

basic to red litmus paper (red paper turned to blue)

C Preparation of Copper (II) oxide

Copper (II) hydroxide was converted to Copper (II) oxide due to heat.

Transferring of black precipitate into a funnel with filter paper.

D Converting Copper (II) Oxide to Copper (II) Sulfate

Addition of 6M H2SO4 to the black precipitate.

E Recovering the Metallic Copper

Weighing of zinc powder; addition of 6M hydrochloric acid after addition

of zinc powder to Copper (II) sulfate solution; spreading out of copper to dry.