Name _______________________________________
Block __________
Investigating Chemical Reactions, Reaction Rates and Equilibrium Systems
Over the course of several days, you and your group will be experimenting with a reaction between copper (II)
sulfate and aluminum. The chemical equation for this reaction is:
3CuSO4 + 2Al  3Cu + Al2(SO4)3
Safety
In lab, it is required that you wear safety goggles at all times, and wash hands thoroughly after
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Copper (II) Sulfate: toxic by ingestion, eye, skin, respiratory irritant
Aluminum Sulfate: mildly toxic, eye and skin irritant
Copper: dangerous if inhaled or ingested
Aluminum: skin irritant
It is incredibly important that you are very careful while handling all of these chemicals. In addition to them being
hazardous to your health, your group will only get a limited amount each day.
Day 1: Observing the Reaction of Copper Sulfate and Aluminum
You will be collecting data about the reaction between copper II sulfate and aluminum, including the amount of copper
produced and the rate of the reaction.
Pre-Lab Questions
1. Explain how you know a chemical reaction is happening.
2. What type of reaction is the reaction between copper (II) sulfate and aluminum?
3. Why is it important to collect both quantitative and qualitative data?
Hypothesis
With your group members, write a hypothesis in the if ____, then ____ format.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Name _______________________________________
Materials
-
Scale
2 Squares of Aluminum Foil
50mL of copper (II) sulfate solution
0.1g sodium chloride
150mL beaker
Stopwatch
2 pieces of Filter Paper
Block __________
-
Funnel
250mL Erlenmeyer flask
Stirring Rod
Watch glass
Thermometer
Water bottle
Forceps
Procedure
Be sure to take note of any little changes (or mistakes!) your group makes!
1. Gather all materials listed.
2. Measure 25mL of copper (II) sulfate, and pour into 150mL beaker. Record the exact volume of the copper (II)
sulfate in the data table
3. Measure 0.1g of sodium chloride. Record the exact mass in the table below.
4. Add the sodium chloride to the copper (II) sulfate solution, mix with the stirring rod.
5. Take the mass of the one piece of aluminum. Record in the data table below.
6. Record the temperature of the starting solution. Keep the thermometer in the beaker throughout the entire
reaction.
7. Place the aluminum foil into the beaker with the copper (II) sulfate. Start the stopwatch immediately when
placing the aluminum foil in the beaker.
8. Observe the reaction. Record observations in the data table.
9. Allow the reaction to continue until almost all of the foil has been dissolved. When the foil is completely
dissolved, stop the stopwatch and record the amount of time the reaction took. Record the final
temperature.
10. Remove any excess aluminum foil using the forceps. Be careful to not take any copper out with the
aluminum!
11. Fold the piece of filter paper as demonstrated by the teacher.
12. Measure the mass of just the filter paper. Record in the data table.
13. Put the filter paper in the funnel, and the funnel over the Erlenmeyer flask.
14. Slowly pour the solution into the funnel lined with filter paper. Be careful to make sure all of the solid
product gets caught in the filter.
15. Use a squeeze bottle of water to rinse all of the copper from the beaker into the funnel. Make sure that all
of the copper gets caught in the filter.
16. When all the liquid has passed through, carefully remove the filter paper and place on a watch glass to dry.
17. Repeat steps 1-12 for a second trial.
18. Clean up the lab station entirely.
Name _______________________________________
Data Collection
Block __________
Copper Sulfate and Aluminum Reaction
Trial 1
Trial 2
Molarity of Copper (II) Sulfate
Mass of Sodium Chloride
Mass of Aluminum
Initial Temperature
Final Temperature
Change in Temperature
(Final – Initial)
Mass of Filter Paper
Mass of Filter Paper + Product
Mass of Product
Time for Reaction to Complete
Qualitative Observations
Calculations
1. Based on the balanced equation for this reaction, what is the mass of copper that was supposed to be in
your product? (This is your theoretical yield)
2. Determine the percent yield of copper for each of the trials. The equation for percent yield is shown below:
Actual Yield
% Yield = (
) × 100
Theoretical Yield
Name _______________________________________
Analysis
Block __________
1. What was your percent yield, and what does it mean?
2. Why do you think that you do not have a 100% yield? Explain.
3. Was the reaction endothermic or exothermic? How do you know?
Day 2: The Effect of a Catalyst
You will be observing the effect of a catalyst on the reaction. The catalyst that will be used is sodium chloride (NaCl).
Pre Lab Questions
1. What is a catalyst, and what does it do?
2. Explain how catalysts should affect the rate of a reaction.
Hypothesis
With your group members, write a hypothesis in the if ____, then ____ format.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Materials
-
Scale
2 Squares of Aluminum Foil
50mL of copper (II) sulfate solution
2.0g NaCl (sodium chloride)
150mL beaker
Stopwatch
Forceps
-
2 pieces of Filter Paper
Funnel
250mL Erlenmeyer flask
Stirring Rod
Watch glass
Thermometer
Name _______________________________________
Procedure
Block __________
1. Gather all materials listed.
2. Measure 25mL of copper (II) sulfate, and pour into 150mL beaker. Record the exact volume of the copper (II)
sulfate in the data table
3. Take the mass of the one piece of aluminum. Record in the data table below.
4. Add 1.0g of sodium chloride to the solution.
5. After the sodium chloride is completely dissolved, record the temperature of the starting solution. Keep the
thermometer in the beaker throughout the entire reaction.
6. Place the aluminum foil into the beaker with the copper (II) sulfate. Start the stopwatch immediately when
placing the aluminum foil in the beaker.
7. Observe the reaction. Record observations in the data table.
8. Allow the reaction to continue until all of the foil has been dissolved. When the foil is completely dissolved,
stop the stopwatch and record the amount of time the reaction took. Record the final temperature.
9. Fold the piece of filter paper as demonstrated by the teacher.
10. Measure the mass of just the filter paper. Record in the data table.
11. Put the filter paper in the funnel, and the funnel over the Erlenmeyer flask.
12. Slowly pour the solution into the funnel lined with filter paper. Be careful to make sure all of the solid
product gets caught in the filter.
13. Use a squeeze bottle of water to rinse all of the copper from the beaker into the funnel. Make sure that all
of the copper gets caught in the filter.
14. When all the liquid has passed through, carefully remove the filter paper and place on a watch glass to dry.
15. Repeat steps 1-12 for a second trial.
Data Collection
Trial 1
Molarity of Copper (II) Sulfate
Mass of Aluminum
Mass of Sodium Chloride
Initial Temperature
Final Temperature
Change in Temperature
(Final – Initial)
Mass of Filter Paper
Mass of Filter Paper + Product
Mass of Product
Time for Reaction to Complete
Trial 2
Name _______________________________________
Qualitative Observations
Block __________
Calculations
1. Based on the balanced equation for this reaction, what is the mass of copper that was supposed to be in
your product? (This is your theoretical yield)
2. Determine the percent yield of copper for each of the trials. The equation for percent yield is shown below:
Actual Yield
% Yield = (
) × 100
Theoretical Yield
Analysis
1. What was your percent yield, and what does it mean?
2. Why do you think that you do not have a 100% yield? Explain.
3. Did you have a better or worse percent yield during these trials than the first experiment? Why do you think
this is?
4. Which experiment proceeded at a faster rate? Why do you think this is?
Name _______________________________________
Day 3: Designing an Equilibrium Assignment
Block __________
You need to design an experiment to either defend or reject LeChatelier’s principle. You will need to use previous data
that has been collected in this lab, as well as new data collected.
Pre-Lab Questions
1. Define equilibrium.
2. Explain LeChatelier’s Principle.
3. Identify the factors that affect equilibrium.
Brainstorm
1. What are some things that you can adjust in the previous experiments to demonstrate LeChatelier’s
Principle?
2. What evidence would be necessary to support or reject LeChatelier’s Principle? (Think about different
calculations, quantitative data, and qualitative data.
Name _______________________________________
Design
Block __________
Together with your group, design an experiment to test LeChatelier’s Principle.
Each group needs to submit a copy via GoogleDocs of their research question, hypothesis, materials list,
procedure, and blank data table(s). All of these will be assessed and the three best labs will be selected for all
groups to choose from.
Materials Available
-
0.25M copper (II) sulfate
0.50M copper (II) sulfate
Aluminum foil squares of various sizes
Stirring rod
Funnel
Forceps
Thermometer
Sodium chloride
-
Beakers
Filter paper
Watch Glass
Hot plate
Ice
Water
Stopwatch
If there are any other materials your group would like, please ask the teacher before adding them to your own
materials list.
** Each group will be limited to a total of 100mL for their labs!**
Grading
This lab will count as two separate grades.
Grade 1: Formal Lab Report
You will be assessed on criteria A and C for this grade. It will be based solely on the completion of the lab and your
formal write up. This grade will not include your group’s design part of the lab!
This will be an individual grade. Each student needs to turn in the following pieces in this order for this assignment
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rubrics
Lab Packet
Rough Draft
Final Draft
This will be weighted the same as a test grade!
Grade 2: Design of Equilibrium Lab
You will be assessed on Criteria B for this grade. It will be based solely on your group’s design of a lab to support or
reject LeChatelier’s Principle. Only one needs to be submitted for your group! This will be submitted via
GoogleDrive.
This will be weighted the same as a quiz grade!