Preliminary work
Before doing this experiment, we did a similar one, with instead of using copper carbonate, we used magnesium. For the rest everything was the same.
Apparatus used
Bunsen burner
Balance
Crucible
Crucible top
Tripod
Pipe clay triangle
Tongs
Diagram
Method
I first weighed my crucible with the lid and wrote down the result. I then reweighed my crucible with the lid and a bit of copper carbonate inside and wrote down the result. After this, I put the crucible in the pipe clay triangle as shown above and heat it strongly for a bit. While doing this make sure that you lift the lid every now and then to allow the gasses to escape. When the copper carbonate goes from turquoise to dark black, that’s the time to stop. Take the crucible off the pipe clay triangle and wait it to cool down, then reweigh it with the lid and write down the result. To wake it a fair test repeat it a few times and write down the results.
Results
The average mass of copper carbonate is: 36.38 – 35.05 = 1.33g
Calculations
- 1.33 / 124 * 80 = 0.86 (to 2 d. p)
- 1.33 / 240 * 160 = 0.89 (to 2 d. p)
- 1.33 / 330 * 160 = 0.64 (to 2 d. p)
Judging from this result, I can say that my prediction was correct, and that the second equation was the right one, but I also said that the third one will have been the largest, and I was wrong because it was the smallest.
Conclusion
In conclusion I can say that the second equation was the nearest to my average copper carbonate mass. I also learned that the mass of the copper carbonate decreased of weight because the CO2 present in the solution escaped while the copper carbonate was being heated, this is because we had to open the lid every now and then.
Improvements for the experiment
To improve the results of the experiment, we could have used the same crucible and crucible top to get a more precise average, and we could have also used the same amount of copper carbonate each time so probably the average weight of it could be near the result I got.
