There are all kinds of Chemical Reactions that happen around us all the time. By being able to identify and classify these reactions helps us to make sense of them and we are then able to predict the product. In this lab involving Silver and Copper I was with a group of two others. The whole end product of the lab was to make silver metal. This lab was separated into a three day time span in order to make our own silver. Copper wire reacts with aqueous silver nitrate. The relative amounts (moles) of reactant and product are determined from the mass loss of the copper wire, the starting mass of the silver nitrate, and the mass of the silver metal obtained. During this lab the copper will be changed from its elemental form to its aqueous blue ion form. At the same time, silver ions will be removed from the solution and will be deposited on the wire in the elemental Ag metallic form.
Day 1: On Day 1 we cut 30 cm worth of copper wire and then dinner it down with steel wool. And them we coiled the wire around the pencil forming a loose coil. Then we stretched the site so it would be able to for inside of the tube. We then made sure to measure everything used in the lab. Including the coil, and the dish of silver nitrate. Which we all used the specific amount of 1.0 gram. After we poured the silver nitrate into the test tube with the copper coil we put distilled water until the water was 2 cm from the top. And then we covered the top with parafilm ( wax paper on steroids, its actually pretty fun and cool to mess with.) We then waited till Day 2 to continue with the lab.
Day 2: For day two we took a piece of filter paper and used it to separate the silver. And then we shook the test tube to separate the copper wire from the silver. Them we set up a funnel with the filter paper. With a waste beaker under the funnel we carefully lifted the copper wire out of the test tube and held it over our magical filter system. Then we washed the silver off with water and it ran down the wire onto the filter. After we did this we wanted the copper to dry so we put it on a piece of paper. Then we separated the silver. Then you have to wait for it to dry overnight.
Day 3: Day three was the easiest out of them all. All we had to do was weigh the copper coil and record its mass. And also weigh the silver and filter paper and then record it's mass.
Mass of silver nitrate: 1.0 gram Mass of copper coil before reaction: 3.44 grams Mass of copper coil after reaction: 3.252 grams Mass of filter paper & silver: 2.165 grams Mass of filter paper: 1.52 grams Mass of silver produced: .645 grams The correct equation for the Chemical Reaction is 2AgNO3 + Cu --> Cu(NO3)2 + 2Ag How close were your actual results to the results that you calculated? gAg .645 grams gCu .188 grams
After about fifteen minutes after we placed the copper in the water with the silver nitrate this is what it looked like.