Making Soluble Salts from Copper oxide and Sulfuric Acid

• What equipment do you need for this required practical of making soluble salts?

  Bunsen burner, tripod, gauze, heatproof mat, beaker, spatula, stirring rod, filter funnel, filter paper, conical flask, glass rod, safety goggles and measuring cylinder.
• What is Step 1 of the making soluble salts practical?


  Use a measuring cylinder to measure 20 cm cubed of sulfuric acid then pour it into a beaker.
• What do you for Step 2 of the MSS practical?


  Add Copper Oxide in excess using a spatula.
• Why is Copper Oxide added in excess?


  To ensure all sulfuric acid is reacted away and neutralised so that it cannot contaminate the salt
• What do you do after adding CuO in excess?


  Stir the solution with a glass rod whilst heating over a bunsen burner
• How long do we stir the solution for while heating?


  Until excess solute (CuO) can be seen at the bottom
• What colour should the solution be with excess CuO in it?

  Black
• What do you do after you have stopped stirring?


  Pour the solution through a funnel and filter paper into a conical flask to form a light blue solution.
• What should be done with the new solution?


  Pour it into an evaporating basin
• What do you do with the evaporating basin?


  Place it over a water bath and heat with a bunsen burner until crystallisation occurs on the edges.
• What is the final step of the experiment?


  Place the basin in a cool place and observe the crystals that form over a week after the experiment.
• What is crystallsiation?


  The process of forming solid crystals from solution, melt or by deposition directly from a gas phase. You cool a hot, saturated solution of a substance to obtain crystals - it is used to separate pure solid from impure sample.