Copper Extraction Lab
Name: ____________________________________ Period:_________
Purpose: Measure the amount of copper metal you can extract from copper (II) carbonate, the main
ingredient in the mineral malachite and to model an environmentally sound, modern method of extracting
copper from tailings.
Materials:
6M sulfuric acid
Wash bottle, distilled water
Glass stirring rod
Iron filings
Filter Paper
Graduated cylinder
copper (II) carbonate
balance
Hot plate
2 beakers (250 mL)
Funnel
Procedures:
Day 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
Add 6 g of copper (II) carbonate to a dry beaker and add 10 mL of distilled water.
Carefully add 15 mL of 6M sulfuric acid. WEAR EYE PROTECTION!
Heat gently and stir with a glass rod.
Remove from the hot plate using hot hands and set on the table. Add 2.7 g of iron filings and stir
until there is no more color change in the solution.
5. Place your name on a clean, dry piece of filter paper and record its mass.
6. With the wash bottle, flush the liquid and solid from the bottom of the beaker into the folded filter
paper in a funnel. Be sure to rinse (scrape if you need to) all the solid into the filter. Allow the
solution to drain fully into the beaker under the funnel and then rinse the filtrate with more distilled
water.
7. When all the water has drained through the filter, remove it from the funnel, then open it up carefully
on a tray to dry overnight.
Day 2
8. Record the mass of the dry filter paper and filtrate. Measure the mass of copper collected.
9. Perform the calculations below to find the percent yield.
Required Participation: Behave appropriately in lab, conduct the experiments as instructed, and clean
up. You must fill out the data table and get my initials.
This lab write-up is a menu option and is worth 30 points—you must get my initials, fill out the data table,
do the calculations, and answer the post-lab questions.
My initials (2 pts): ________________
Data—Required (4 pts)
Exact amount of copper (II) carbonate: ____________
Exact amount of iron filings: ___________
Mass of dry, clean filter paper: ___________
Mass of filter paper with copper: __________
Mass of copper collected: _____________
Calculations—12 pts
1. Write the correct, balanced chemical reactions for the lab—there are two! (2 pts each)
(Hint: the first mixes copper carbonate with sulfuric acid).
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(Hint: the second mixes iron with the copper product from reaction #1).
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2. Change the mass of iron from your data into moles of iron: (1 pt)
3. Change the moles of iron into moles of the copper produced in reaction 2: (2 pts)
4. Change the moles of copper from reaction 2 into mass of copper: (1 pt)
Answer: __________________ g of Cu
5. What was the mass of copper you collected? (1 pt) ____________________
6. What is your percent yield in the experiment? (use the answers to number 4 for your theoretical-3
pts)
Answer: __________________
Post-Lab Questions—12 pts
You may use your notes and packet to help answer these questions, but you MUST work by
yourself! Do not copy anyone else’s words and don’t let anyone copy yours!
Give your answers in complete sentences! You may have to do some research to answer these
questions!
1. From your research, describe how the method you modeled is used in the metal industry.
How could it be used on a large scale?
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2. There are many other minerals mined in the United States and around the world that leave
large tailing piles. Describe a method for cleaning tailing piles for a mineral other than
copper.
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3. Explain how cyanide is used to mine gold. Why is this such a controversial method in the
Northern Rocky Mountains? What environmental problems does this method present?
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4. Describe an alternative method of mining gold without the use of cyanide.
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