Making Copper
Sulphate
Recap questions, answer in full sentences
in your book
What is the formula for Copper Oxide?
What is the formula of Copper sulphate?
What colour is a solution of Copper
Sulphate?
Copper sulphate is an example of a salt which is formed when an insoluble base reacts
with an acid. This is a set of instructions for preparing copper sulphate (CuSO4) from
sulphuric acid and copper oxide.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add small amounts of solid copper oxide powder to 25 cm3 of dilute sulphuric acid, and
stir.
2. Keep adding powder slowly until some unreacted copper oxide remains at the bottom.
3. Filter the solution to remove the unreacted copper oxide and transfer the filtrate into an
evaporating basin.
4. Heat the contents of the evaporating basin gently until about a third of the water has
evaporated.
5. Leave the solution to cool and then examine the crystals which are formed.
QUESTIONS (answer in full sentences in your book)
1 Write a list of all the apparatus that would be needed to prepare copper sulphate crystals.
2 What safety precautions would you need to take if you were following these instructions?
3 Why is it better to have copper oxide powder left in the beaker after the reaction, rather than
having dilute sulphuric acid left behind?
4 Why was it necessary to filter the mixture before evaporating it?
5 Write word equation for the reaction which took place between Copper oxide and sulphuric
acid
6 Describe what the copper sulphate crystals look like?