Sourabh (with Shannon, Marsha and Emad)
25/01/2014
Whos the Boss?
Purpose:
To observe the effects of limiting and excess reagent when Al(s) is reacted with CuCl2 (aq) and determine the percentage yield of the reaction.
Prediction:
Starting amounts: Equation Ratio 0.35 g of Al 0.60 g of CuCl2
2Al + 3CuCl2 2AlCl3 + 3Cu 2 : 3 : 2 : 3
mAl = 0.35 g MAl = 26.98 g/mol nAl = m/M = 0.0130 mol 0.0130/2 = 0.0065
= 0.60 g = 134.45 g/mol = m/M = 0.00446 mol 0.00446/3 = 0.00149 limiting reagent
Mole ratio of CuCl2 : Cu = 1 : 1 = 0.00446 mol : 0.00446 mol MCu = 63.55 g/mol mCu = nM = 0.00446 mol x 63.55 g/mol = 0.28 g of Cu should be produced
Materials:
3 100mL Beaker 0.35 g of Aluminium 0.60 g of Copper (II) Chloride Distilled Water Scoopula Stirring Rod Electronic Balance (g to 2 d.p.) Hot Plate Filter Paper Tongs
Sourabh (with Shannon, Marsha and Emad)
25/01/2014
Procedure:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Put a clean, empty beaker on the electronic balance and set the weight the zero. Slowly add anhydrous copper (II) chloride powder to the beaker and measure 0.60 g. Remove the beaker from the balance and reset the balance to zero. Add distilled water to the copper (II) chloride in the beaker, so that it completely dissolves. Make sure that no particles are visible, but do not add too much water as this will slow down the reaction. Take small pieces of aluminium and use the electronic balance to measure 0.35 g of it. Break the aluminium pieces if necessary to get measurement correct to 2 decimal places. Look for bubbles, which will indicate a reaction. Stir continuously to keep the reaction rate up. The deep blue colour of the solution should turn colourless. If the reaction speed slows down, before the colour change is complete, heat on a low setting (3-4) on the hot plate for 1 2 minutes. It is ok if some of the aluminium remains and is visible after the reaction is complete, as the calculations indicate that the aluminium is in excess. Remove beaker with tongs and let cool. On a second beaker, place a filter paper folded in a cone shape, and pour the contents of the first beaker into it. Collect the residue in a second filter paper to dry the residue. Some copper will have formed on the aluminium piece(s) that havent completely reacted. Scrape of the copper and add to the rest of the copper powder. Put the third empty beaker on the balance and set it zero. Add the copper powder into the beaker and measure After the reaction is completed, collect all the copper that has formed and record its mass. Do final calculations to find percentage yield.
7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12. 13.
Observations:
The CuCl2 was turquoise in its anhydrous form and turned into a clear deep blue solution when distilled water was added. The aluminium was cut into small pieces and was silvery grey in colour Small bubbles started forming around the aluminium rapidly and the beaker heated up slightly. The solution started to lose its deep blue colour and started turning colourless. A reddish-brown substance (presumably copper) started to form around the aluminium pieces which started to slow down the rate of bubble formation. Using the stirring rod to scrape the reddish substance of the aluminium sped up the reaction again. The solution was colourless and slightly cloudy from the reddish-brown precipitate that had formed. The unreacted aluminium pieces were coated with the same reddish substance. 0.26g
Before Reaction
During Reaction
After Reaction Mass of Copper
Sourabh (with Shannon, Marsha and Emad)
25/01/2014
Analysis/Evaluation:
1. In our observations, some of the aluminium pieces were still intact at the end of the reaction. Even when some of the copper coating was scraped of, no further reaction took place. This proved that the reaction was complete and that the copper (II) chloride was the limiting reagent. Also, the solution had turned from deep blue to colourless. Since Cu2+ has a deep blue colour in aqueous solutions, and AlCl3 (aq) is colourless, this supported the fact that the reaction was complete and all of the copper (II) chloride had reacted. From our calculations in the prediction, we expected the aluminium to be in excess and our experiment reflected these results.
2. We measured a yield of 0.26 g of copper and calculated the theoretical yield to be 0.28 g. We can measure the % yield of copper to be: There can be many reasons for the inaccuracies of the actual yield. A yield of less than 100% (such as ours) can be due to an incomplete reaction, resulting in a lower yield. An incomplete reaction may occur when an experiment is done in the wrong temperature or pressure, or if the reactants are separated before they are fully reacted. Near the end of the reaction, the speed of the reaction slows down and the lack of any obvious signs of the reaction can be misinterpreted as the end of the reaction. Some of the reactants and products may also be lost when transferring from one container to another. A yield of greater than 100% happens primarily when there are impurities in the reactants.
