Determining the Correct Equation for the Decomposition of Copper Carbonate

Determining the Correct Equation for the Decomposition of Copper Carbonate

Introduction and background information:

Important points to note:

‘At room temperature, 25°C and atmospheric pressure at 1 atmosphere, I

mole of any gas will occupy a volume of 24 dm³.’ We will need this to

work out how much copper carbonate to decompose to obtain a sufficient

amount of carbon dioxide gas.

To work out the amount of copper carbonate to use I will need to use

the following equations:

Number of moles = Mass / Mr

PV = nRT P = Pressure

V = Volume

n = Number of moles

R = Gas constant

T = Temperature

We can substitute n (number of moles) with the first equation to get:

PV = (mass/Mr) x RT

When rearranged this gives:

Mass = (Mr x PV) / RT

This will allow me to work out the mass needed.

Aim:

The aim of this experiment is to determine which of the following

equations is correct:

[IMAGE]Equation 1: 2CuCO3 (s) Cu2O (s) + 2CO2 (g) + ½ O2

(g)

[IMAGE]Equation 2: CuCO3 (s) CuO (s) + CO2 (g)

I will do this by decomposing the copper carbonate. I will need to

calculate if the volume of carbon dioxide produced is equal to what

the equation suggests.

Equipment:

* Heatproof mat

* Bunsen burner

* Boiling tube

* Bung

* Delivery tube

* Water bath

* Measuring cylinder (250 cm³)

* Digital weighing scales

* Spatula

* Clamp and stand

* One molar copper carbonate (1 gram)

* Two molar copper carbonate (1 gram)