Chemical Reaction Lab Report

Before any chemical reactions occurred, there was 0.46 grams of elemental copper metal. After the copper was added to the 250 milliliter beaker containing the 5.0 milliliters of nitric acid, nitrogen dioxide gas came out. The gas color was a light brown color, and the clear nitric acid within the beaker became a green-brown color. Once the chemical reaction concluded and nitrogen dioxide gas stopped releasing from the beaker, 20 milliliters of distilled water was added to the solution, and the color within the beaker turned to a neon blue. This was the chemical equation for the first chemical reaction, 4 HNO3 (aq) + Cu (s) → Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + H2O (l) + 2 NO2 (g).

The second reaction had copper (II) nitrate reacting with sodium hydroxide in a precipitation reaction, Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + 2 NaOH (aq) → Cu(OH)2 (s) + 2 NaNO3 (aq). When the 20 milliliters of 6.0 M NaOH was added to the neon blue beaker with the copper (II) nitrate, the extremely light blue color darkened, turning to a darker blue color. Within the solution, an Orbeez-like consistency formed, which was the precipitate, forming copper (II) hydroxide.

For the third reaction, the copper (II) hydroxide was heated, taking advantage of how it is thermally unstable, forming copper (II) oxide, Cu(OH)2 (s) + Heat → CuO (s) + H2O (l). The beaker was then placed

Once the zinc was added, a reddish-brown solid appeared and the neon blue color went away. The liquid within the beaker was decanted, as only the red-brown solid as the bottom was wanted (the solid copper). To remove any unwanted elements and compounds, 5 milliliters of distilled water and 10 milliliters of hydrochloric was added to the beaker. The hydrochloric acid was added to remove any excess zinc within the beaker, producing hydrogen