MOLES OF IRON AND COPPER LAB_________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND INFORMATION - In the chemical reaction between the iron in nails and copper II chloride solution,
one atom of iron goes into the solution for every one atom of copper that comes out of solution to be solid copper.
PROBLEM - Given the mass of iron used from the nails in the chemical reaction, predict the mass of copper that
would be produced in the experiment.
HAZARDS - Copper (II) chloride is very poisonous and can kill you. Do not get it in your mouth. Do not
swallow any. Hydrochloric acid is corrosive to skin, eyes, and clothing. When handling 1M hydrochloric acid,
wear safety goggles and a lab apron. Wash spills and splashes off your skin and clothing immediately using plenty
of water. Contact your teacher.
PROCEDURE (beginning)
1. Put on your safety goggles.
2. Find the mass of a clean, empty, dry 250 mL beaker. Record the mass in your notebook.
3. With a plastic spoon add approximately 8 grams of copper (II) chloride crystals to the beaker. (Do not get
any of the copper (II) chloride on the scale.) Measure the total mass and record it in your notebook.
4. Add 50 mL of distilled water to the beaker. Swirl the beaker around to dissolve all the copper (II) chloride
crystals. Record your qualitative observations
5. Obtain two clean, dry nails. If the nails are not clean, use a piece of sand paper to make the surface of
the nail shiny. Find the mass of the nails and record it in your notebook. Record your qualitative
observations.
6. Place the nails into the copper (II) chloride solutions. Leave them undisturbed for approximately twenty
minutes.
PROCEDURE (after 20 minutes)
7. After the twenty minutes you should see the formation of copper in the beaker. At the same time, some of
the iron will be used up. Record your qualitative observations.
8. Use the tongs to carefully pick up the nails, one at a time. Use distilled water in a wash bottle to rinse off
any remaining copper from the nails before removing them completely from the beaker. If necessary, use
a stirring rod to scrape any excess copper from the nails. Set the nails aside to dry on a paper towel.
9. After the nails are completely dry, find the mass of the nails and record it in your notebook.
10. Decant means to pour off only the liquid from a container that is holding both solid and liquid. Carefully
decant the liquid from the solid. Pour the liquid into another beaker so that in case you over pour, you can
still recover the solid.
11. After decanting, rinse the solid again with about 25 mL of distilled water. Decant again. Repeat this step
three or four times.
12. Next wash the solid with about 25 mL of 1M hydrochloric acid (HCl). Decant again; then once more, clean
the solid with 25 mL of distilled water. Record your qualitative observations.
13. After the final washing with water, place the copper in a drying oven to dry.
PROCEDURE (next day)
1. Allow the copper to become completely dry, then find the mass of the beaker plus the copper and record it
in your notebook. Record your qualitative observations.
2. Clean up all of your materials. Before you leave the laboratory, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and
water.
OBSERVATIONS
Table 1 Quantitative Data
Table 2 Qualitative Data
CALCULATIONS (after first day)
1. Calculate the mass of iron used in the reaction.
2. Calculate the moles of the iron used in the reaction.
3. Calculate the number of atoms of the iron used in the reaction
4. Predict the number of atoms of copper that will be produced in the reaction
5. Based on your predicted atoms of copper, calculate the number of moles of copper that will be produced.
6. Based on your predicted moles of copper, calculate the mass of copper that will be produced.
CALCULATIONS (after second day)
1. Calculate the mass of copper produced in the experiment.
2. Calculate your percent error based on your prediction as the accepted value and your measurement as
your experimental value.
CONCLUSION (Show your work.)
1. Was there any evidence that some of the copper (II) chloride was left in the beaker? Explain.
2. Why was the washing of the copper necessary?
3. Define decant.
4. Suppose you have an unlimited supply of copper (II) chloride to react with iron. How many moles of
copper would be produced by reacting 34.0 grams of iron with the copper (II) chloride solution?
5. How many moles of iron would have been used up if 45.0 grams of copper where to be produced?
6. How many atoms of copper would be involved in conclusion question #4?
7. How many atoms of iron would be involved in conclusion question #4?
8. How many grams of copper would be produced if 456 grams of iron were reacted?