14 December 2019

Lab Synthesis of Cu(OH)2

Praewa Matthew Japan Mos Jorn 1110

Abstract

In this report, we are to examine the synthesis of 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 by mixing 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶4 with
different amounts of 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶. We are to examine the relation between the weight of reactants and
the weight of the product. In this experiment, the method of filtration was involved in order to
separate the solid in 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 after both reactants were mixed together. The weight of the solid
was recorded. In the first reaction, we mixed 0.2gram of sodium hydroxide and 2.5gram of
copper(II) sulfate, it gave a result of 0.4gram of copper(II) hydroxide, 0.0041mol and 164%
yield. In the second reaction, 0.6 gram of sodium hydroxide was mixed with the same amount of
copper(II) sulfate, creating a result of 0.5gram of the product, 0.0051mol and 68% yield. The
product of both reactions after drying was a blue-colored solid with a slight difference in the
shade. In conclusion, the amount of the reactants used to synthesize 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 will have an
impact with the weight of the product, which can be calculated roughly by the theoretical yield.
However, the theoretical yield is not always accurate, as there can be error in the experiment,
causing the actual yield to be slightly higher or lower than expected.

Object

-to study chemical reaction

-to gain experience in doing experiments in a group

-to learn how to calculate the molar mass of the solutions

-to learn how to calculate the % yield of real life reactions

-to determine limiting reagent, and % yield

Introduction

In this lab, we are going to be synthesising 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 and calculating the theoretical yield
and the yield percent. The chemical equation is 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶4 + 2𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 − −> 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶) 2 +
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 4 To make the product, we need the reactants to react in a reaction and we need to know
what is the limiting reagent and the excess reagent. The excess reagent is the reactant that have a
greater quantities than necessary in the reaction. The limiting reagent is the reactant used up first
in the reaction and gives the lowest product if we do the calculations. Before we do any
calculations, we need to check if the equation is balanced or not, we can check by seeing if all the
elements in the reaction are equal on the left and the right side of the equation. If the equation is
not balanced, we can change the coefficient of the compounds. After we did that, we can calculate
how much grams of product will be made with how many grams of reactants and finds out which
of the reactants is the limiting reagent. We have to do this for each of the reactants we have. To
start, we need to calculate the mol of the reactant by dividing the grams of the reactant to the molar
mass of the reactant. The molar mass is the sum of the atomic mass in grams. For example, the
molar mass of 𝐶𝐶3 is 67.804 grams, because B’s atomic mass is 10.81 and F’s atomic mass is
18.998 and there are three of F [(10.81 + (18.998 x 3)) = 67.804]. After finding the mol of the
reactant, we need to change the mol of the reactant to the mol of the product. We can do this by
multiplying the coefficient of the product over the reactant’s coefficient. Finally, to change the
product’s mol to grams. To do this, we simply times the molar mass of the product to the mol of
the product. If the reactant that has been calculated is the limiting reagent, then the product’s grams
will be called the theoretical yield. The theoretical yield is the amount of the product that would
be made of the limiting reagent reacted. Finally we need to calculate the percent yield. Percent
yield is the percent ratio of actual yield to the theoretical yield (Helmenstine, A. M. (2019, July 7).
To calculate, we just divide the actual yield to the theoretical yield and multiply one hundred
percent. The actual yield is the amount you get from the reaction and it is possible for the percent
yield to be over one hundred percent.

Materials and Methods

❖ Materials
➢ CuSO4 solution (Solution A = 2.5g of CuSU4 in 50 mL of water)
➢ NaOH solution (Solution B = 0.2g of NaOH in 25mL of water)
➢ NaOH solution (Solution C = 0.6g of NaOH in 25mL of water)
➢ 100 mL beaker
➢ 50 mL graduated cylinder
 ➢ Stirring rod
➢ Filter Paper
➢ Spatula
➢ Watch glass
➢ Funnel
➢ Ring stand & clamp
❖ Methods
➢ Day 1
■ Preparation of CuSO4 solution (Solution A)
■ Preparation of NaOH solution (Solution B)
■ Preparation of NaOH solution (Solution C)
■ All the solutions were already prepared by the lab technician
■ Synthesis of Cu(OH)2
■ Mix 25 mL of CuSO4 solution (Solution A) with 25 mL of NaOH
solution (Solution B)
■ Stir for 2 - 3 minutes
■ Weight the filter paper, and then record it on the data table
■ Separated the solid product by paper filtration technique
■ Rinse the solid product (the rest of the product left on beaker) with 10 ml
of distilling water
■ Clean the filtered solid residue (during filtration) with 10 ml of distilling
water for 2 times in order to remove Na2SO4 salt
■ Clean the filtered solid residue again with 10 ml ethanol to remove water
■ Carefully remove filter paper with filtered solid reside to watch glass
■ Dry it overnight
■ Repeat the steps of Solution A and B by using 25 ml of NaOH solution by
using Solution C instead of Solution B
➢ Day 2
■ Weight mass of filter paper and solid product
■ Calculate the % yield of the reaction

Results

Reaction Reaction Weight of Weight Weight Solid Product

Solution Observation Filter of Filter of Solid Observation
Paper Paper + Product (chemical/
(in Solid (in physical)
 grams) Product grams)
(in
grams)

A+B - Greenish/blue 1.53 g 1.93 g g - Stick to the

- Transparent paper
- Smaller
particles
- Light
blue/greenish
- Thin solid

A+C - Fast filtration 1.53 g 2.03 g 0.5 g - Dark blue

- The dark blue - Solid
solution before - Larger
filtration particle than
- Transparent & A+B
clear solution
after filtration

Calculations

- calculate % yield

Molecular Weight of Each Compound

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶4 = 63.546 + 32.066 + (15.999 ∗ 4)

= 159.608 g
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 = 22.99 + 15.999 + 1.008

= 39.997 g

𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 = 63.546 + 2 × (15.99 + 1.008)

= 97.542 𝐶

𝐶𝐶2 𝐶𝐶4 = 22.990 ∗ 2 + 32.066 + 4 ∗ 15.999

= 142.042 𝐶

The Number of Mole of Each Compound

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 (𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝐶) = 0.2/39.997 = 0.005𝐶𝐶𝐶

𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 (𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 𝑁) = 0.6/39.997 = 0.015𝑁𝑁𝑁

𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁4 = 1.25 / 159.608 = 0.0078 𝑁𝑁𝑁

Limiting Reagent

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶(0.005𝐶𝐶𝐶) →÷ 2 → 0.0025𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶(0.015𝐶𝐶𝐶) →÷ 2 → 0.0075𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶4 (0.0078𝐶𝐶𝐶) →× 1 → 0.0078𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2

NaOH is the limiting reagent for both reactions

Theoretical Yield

First reaction:

0.0025 × 97.542 = 0.243𝐶𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2

Second reaction;

0.0075 × 97.542 = 0.731𝐶𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2

Percent Yield
First Reaction:

(0.4 ÷ 0.243) × 100 = 164%

Second Reaction:

(0.5 ÷ 0.731) × 100 = 68%

Discussion

From the first experiment, the reactant of 2.5gram of 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶4 and 0.2gram of 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶was
mixed together to synthesis 𝐶𝐶(𝐶𝐶)2 . Before the filtration, the solution in the beaker was a
cloudy light blue liquid. During the filtration through the filter paper, the liquid passed down the
filter paper slowly due to the particles of the small size of solid particles in the solution. After
filtration, the solid was left to dry. The color of the solid after drying was still light blue. It has
weight of 0.4gram. In the second experiment, the weight of reactant 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶was changed to
0.6gram. The solution of the product was in a cloudy dark blue color. During the filtration, the
solid was quickly separated from the liquid because it has larger particles. After it had been
dried, the solid was also still in a dark blue color. It has a weight of 0.5gram.

To answer the first question: Why the color of filtrate (solution in the beaker during the
filtration) of both reactions are different, we must refer back to the result we have gotten.
The amount of blue solid (Cu(OH)2) we have produced in the first mixture is less than the
amount produced in the second mixture. This means that NaOH, being the substance that is less
on the first mixture, is the limiting reagent. This causes CuSO4 to become the excess of this
reaction and causes the filtrate to have a light blue color. For the second reaction, there is more
NaOH, so CuSO4 will be used up more and cause the filtrate to be clear.

To answer the second question: Identify the limiting and excess reagent of each reaction,
we will have to look at the amount of substance in each reaction. With the formula we had
(CuSO4 + 2 NaOH -> Cu(OH)2 + Na2SO4), we can find the limiting and excess reagent of each
reaction. First, we have to find the molar mass of each substance. For CuSO4, it is 63.546 +
32.066 + 4*15.999 = 159.608 grams. For NaOH, it is 22.990 + 15.999 + 1.008 = 39.997. We
then have to consider how many moles there are in reaction. For the first reaction, there is 0.2 g
of NaOh, which is 0.2/39.997 = 0.005 moles. For the second reaction, there is 0.6 g of NaOH,
which is 0.6/39.997 = 0.015 moles. There is 1.25 g of CuSO4 in both reactions, which is
1.25/159.608 = 0.078 moles. Considering only the NaOh, it will appear that 0.005/2 = 0.0025
moles of Cu(OH)2 will be produced in the first reaction and 0.015/2 = 0.0075 moles of Cu(OH)2
will be produced. Now considering the CuSO4, the moles of Cu(OH)2 will be 0.0078 moles,
which is more than the moles gained from NaOH in the first reaction, but less than NaOH in the
second reaction. Therefore, CuSO4 is the excess reagent and NaOH is the limiting reagent in
both reactions.

To answer the third question: Calculate the theoretical yield and percent yield of each
reaction, we need to first calculate the theoretical yield of each reaction then divide it by the
actual yield and find its percentage. First, the molar mass of Cu(OH)2 is 63.546 + 2
*(15.999+1.008) = 97.542 The Theoretical yield of the first reaction is 0.0025 * 97.542 = 0.243
grams. The percentage yield will be (0.4/0.243) * 100 which is 164% for the first reaction. The
second reaction will have a have a theoretical yield of 0.0075 * 97.542= 0.73 grams. The
percentage yield of the second reaction will be (0.5/0.73)*100 = 68%.

To answer the fourth question: Give an explanation why you get more or less than 100%
yield, we have to look at the result and our process. For the first experiment, the step that would
make us lose a lot of time is the filtration of the solution and cleaning the Na2SO4, so we rushed
it to get it done in time. This means that some of the salt is still in the product and make the
percent yield appear to be more than 100 %. For the second experiment, it is possible that the
reaction didn't occur fully and make the yield less than it should be. It is also possible that the
oven can cause it to lose some weight from evaporation along with the water molecule.

The errors in the lab can be caused due to many reasons. The first one is that the amount
of solution used might be inaccurate because it might be more or less than the amount we need.
The second reason is that the solution might get stuck to the side of the glassware and cause the
result to be wrong. The third reason is that the weight might be measured incorrectly and cause
the result to be wrong.

Conclusion
 From this experiment, the synthesis of copper(II) hydroxide was done by mixing
copper(II) sulfate and different amounts of sodium hydroxide, which is the limiting reagent in
both reactions. From the experiment, we can conclude that copper(II) hydroxide can be
synthesized by using copper(II) sulfate and sodium hydroxide. The amount of product may vary
due to different amounts of reactants, the more reactants there are, the more product will be
synthesized. Moreover the actual yield might not be equal to the theoretical yield due to various
factors. Evidently, the product from the first experiment was 0.4gram of copper(II) hydroxide,
0.0041mol, 164% yield and was a light blue solid, while the product from the second experiment
was 0.5gram, 0.0051mol, 68% yield and was a dark blue solid.

References
Helmenstine, A. M. (2019, July 7). Chemistry Concepts: Percent Yield. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-percent-yield-605899.