Making A Copper Sulfate Salt

Aim: 

To create copper sulfate salt by producing copper oxide with an acid

Equipment:

• Copper oxide powder
• Dilute sulfuric acid 
• Measuring cylinder, 
• 2x 100mL beakers, 
• Bunsen burner, 
• Tripod, 
• Gauze mat, 
• Funnel, 
• Filter paper, 
• Thermometer, 
• Spatula, 
• Evaporating basin, 
• Stirring rod.

Method:

1. Add 20mL of sulfuric acid into a 100mL beaker. Using your bunsen burner, heat to 70degrees. Turn off your bunsen burner.
2. Once heated, use a spatula to add pea-sized portions of copper oxide. Stir for 30 seconds.
3. Repeat step 2 until it will not dissolve anymore.
4. Fold filter paper and place in the funnel. Place the funnel into your second beaker.
5. Make sure your first beaker is cool enough to hold and then pour it into the funnel. Gently swirl and allow to filter through.
6. Rinse the beaker and fill with 50mL of water and place on the tripod. 
7. Place evaporating basin on top of the beaker and pour some solution in.
8. Gently heat until the solution has reduced by half.
9. Take off heat and allow to cool.             

Results/Discussion:

After we let the acid get up to the required temperature, 70 degrees, we then took our solute, the copper oxide, and dissolved numerous amounts of it into our solvent, the acid, until it wouldn't dissolve any more. The solution was a dark, almost black, blue. But after filtering it, it became a lighter blue. Next, we took the solution and an evaporating basin and reduced the solution to half then left it overnight.
After we left it overnight, we came back to many small, blue, crystals!

Conclusion:

Our experiment included dissolving a solute into a solvent and creating a solution. Next, we filtered the solution and evaporated it until it was a solid again. That solid was the crystals. Therefore, we conducted a successful experiment!