Thread: project due thurs... in freak out mode... help?

For an end of year project in my chem class, we have to find a reaction that is visually appealing, and which we can manipulate the reaction by changing temperature, surface area, one of the reactants, concentration of the reactants, and add catalysts to.

Suggestions would be appreciated. Specifically suggestions that i can blow up

Spectacular, easy to make and everything you need is easily available.

CuSO4 is at room temperature found hydrated as CuSO4·5H2O with a beautiful blue colour.

If you put it in an oven and rise temperature to 100ºC the colour will be turning to pale blue to finish in snow white. This is because the hydration water is coordinated with Cu2+. A drop of water afterwads will return the blue colour inmediately.

If you make an acid solution of CuSO4 using HCl and then you add some tiny pieces of aluminium foil you will pass from an intense blue solution(Cu2+), to a green one (Cu1+), to eventually get a reddish precipitate (Cu) and the aluminium foil would dissapear. The speed of the reaction will be proportional to the surface of the aluminium foil and the colour to its quantity for a given amount of CuSO4.

Best regards,

César

okay so i am using this experiment for my project... does anyone know the full equation?? and any additional info... research on this has been largely unsuccessful

Kate,

The overall reaction is quite simple:

2Al (solid) + 3CuSO4 (aq.) <-> 3 Cu (prec.) + Al2(SO4)3 (aq.)

If you want to go deeper you can try and write the formula for the two intermediate steps: Cu2+ -> Cu1+ -> Cu.

At first sight it would be a substitution but, actually, it is a redox reaction. When you perform the experiment you'll realize that a gas is generated also. That would be a secondary reaction. May I suggest that instead of using Google you use your brain and try to write it down?

Can you think of any application for this reaction, I mean, could this reaction be used as a test for something?

Best regards,

César

well that makes sense... i had tried writing it down but i was including HCl as a reactant in the equation, so it confused the crap out of me.