LIMITTING REACTANTS

Lab Report

Ben-Zion Benkhin
23/5/2013

Introduction:
In many chemical reactions, it is common for one reactant to run out before another. The reactant which runs out before the other reactants is called the Limiting Reactant. When all of the limiting reactant is used, no more product can be formed and the reaction can be considered complete. In this lab, the reaction between solid Aluminum (Al (s)) and Copper (II) Chloride (CuCl2 (aq)) will be conducted and observed. The masses of each reactant will be taken before the reaction, and the masses of each product will be taken after the reaction has been completed. This data will then be used to determine which of the reactants is the limiting reactant, as well as calculate a number of values, such as the molar amount of each reactant and product and the percent yield of the reaction. The balanced chemical equation of this reaction is: 2Al (s) + 3CuCl2 (aq) 3Cu (s) + 2AlCl3 (aq) It should be noted that the above equation does not include hydrochloric acid (HCl) which was one of the reactants. The reason for this is because the HCl only serves as a catalyst, which speeds up the reaction by increasing the frequency of collision between the other reactants. As can be seen from the chemical equation above, this reaction is a single displacement reaction (AB + C AC + B). In this reaction, one of the products produced is copper, which is an important metal used in a variety of ways including: Construction Power generation Electronic Manufacturing Plumbing Heating and cooling systems

Single displacement reactions are often used by companies for tasks such as refining ore. They tend to be very consistent, and it is relatively easy to predict the products of such reactions. The purpose of the lab is to provide a real, applicable, situation in which students can put their stoichiometry skills to the test as well as see the real world applications of the calculations that they have been learning. Stoichiometric calculations are used in almost all situations where certain chemicals are being produced as they give the manufacturers of the chemical a vast amount of important information. This information includes how much of each reactant is needed, and how much product they can expect to produce. The percent yield calculation is one of the important calculations that will be conducted. In the real world, it is rare that a chemical reaction produces exactly the amount of product as is expected by the stoichiometric calculations. In other words, the percent yield is almost never 100%. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including: Loss of reactant as it is being transferred from containers Human errors such as: o Misreading the quantity of a reactant

o Improperly mixing the reactants Evaporation of liquid reactants Reactants have not full reacted

Considering this, the reaction above will definitely not result in a percent yield of 100%. It is more likely that the percent yield will be around 60-80%, if the materials are handled properly and the lab is done correctly. A manufacturer performing the same reaction may have a higher percent yield, as they have access to technology which will help them better measure and maintain the quantities of the reactants and products, as well as the ability to ensure the reaction is fully completed. They may expect a percentage yield of greater than 90%. We believe that the limiting reactant of this reaction will be the CuCl2. The basis for this hypothesis is a calculation done on Calculation Sheet One which calculates the quantity of product that can be formed by each reactant and then uses the results to determine which reactant is the limiting reactant.

Materials and Procedure:

~2.0g of aluminum pellets ~5.0g of copper (II) chloride dihydrate 0.01 M hydrochloric acid solution Distilled water Electronic balance Stirring rod 400 mL beaker 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask Weigh boat Parafilm Filter paper Funnel Ring stand Watch glass 200 mL graduated cylinder

Procedure:
Day 1: 1. Upon entry to the lab, each group member acquired a pair of safety goggles and put them on. 2. The mass of a clean, empty 250mL Erlenmeyer flask was measured and recorded. 3. A weigh boat was placed on an electronic scale, and the scale was zeroed.

4. 4-5 grams of Copper (II) Chloride was added to the weigh boat, and the mass of the added Copper (II) Chloride was recorded. 5. All of the Copper (II) Chloride was then added to the Erlenmeyer flask. 6. 100 mL of 0.1M Hydrochloric Acid was measured in the 200mL graduated cylinder 7. The Hydrochloric Acid was then added to the Erlenmeyer flask containing the Copper (II) Chloride 8. The components were stirred with a stirring rod until the solution appeared to be uniform. 9. Another weigh boat was placed on an electronic scale, and the scale was zeroed. 10. Two aluminum pellets were placed upon the weight boat, and their mass was measured and recorded. 11. The aluminum was then added to the flask containing the Copper (II) Chloride 12. A sheet of parafilm was immediately wrapped over the top of the Erlenmeyer flask to prevent any gasses from escaping. 13. The work site was cleaned and all materials were stored away. Day 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Upon entry to the lab, each group member acquired a pair of safety goggles and put them on. The flask was observed for any changes, and these changes were then recorded. The parafilm was removed from the top of the flask. A dry filter paper was placed upon the electronic scale. Its mass was recorded. A funnel was placed into another flask, and the filter paper was placed inside of the funnel. The liquid inside of the 250 mL flask was poured into the other flask, until no liquid remained in the Erlenmeyer flask. The filter paper was removed from the top of the flask, together with the matter inside of it. The two pellets of aluminum were removed from the spongy copper using tweezers. The pellets was then rinsed with distilled water, and dried with a paper towel. The filter paper with the copper still on it was left out to try. The work site was cleaned and all materials were stored away.

Day 3: 1. Upon entry to the lab, each group member acquired a pair of safety goggles and put them on. 2. The dry filter paper was placed upon an electronic scale and the displayed mass was recorded. 3. The total mass of the copper was calculated by subtracting the known value of the dry, clean filter paper from the value of the copper and filter paper together. 4. The work site was cleaned and all materials were stored away.

Observations:
Data Table 1 Day 1 Observations Mass of clean, dry flask Mass of CuCl2 * 2H20 in Erlenmeyer Flask Mass of CuCl2 * 2H2O (calculated) Volume of HCI solution Mass of aluminum pellets 128.6g 130.7g 130.7g 128.6g = 2.1 g 100 mL 0.7g

The CuCl2 solution turned blue when the HCl was added to it. When the aluminum pellets were added to the solution, they became bubbling and appeared to become slightly darker. This indicated that a reaction was occurring.

Data Table 2 Day 2 Observations Mass of filter paper (aluminum removed) 4.34 g

The solution had undergone some significant changes. It went from the blue color of day 1 to a completely clear color. The copper was displaced and was a reddish/brown mass floating in the flask. A reaction had definitely taken place.

Data Table 3 Day 3 Observations Mass of dry filter paper and copper Mass of dry filter paper Mass of Copper (calculated) 1.930 g 1.230g 1.930g 1.230g = 0.7g

The filter paper lost a significant amount of mass since day 2. This can be attributed to the change in moisture, as it was drenched in liquid on day 2 and completely dry on day 3.

With our observations, we can now calculate the percent yield of our copper. These calculations were done on Calculation Sheet 2.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, our hypothesis regarding the percent yield of the reaction and which of the reactants was limiting was fairly accurate. As predicted on Calculation Sheet One, Copper (II) Chloride was the limiting reactant. This was evident in the experiment as well because there was some aluminum left after the react was completed, but no Copper (II) Chloride (blue liquid) remained. Additionally, our prediction on the percent yield of the reaction was also fairly accurate. The percent yield was 70%. While this value seems fairly high, it is most likely not very accurate. When the copper was left out to dry, it is believed that it reacted with the environment it was in and likely oxidized. This contributed to the unwanted mass in the copper and made the mass seem higher than it actually was, rendering our result somewhat inaccurate. The oxidation of the copper was a major source of error. Additionally, when the beaker was acquired on Day 2, it is believed that it was somewhat shaken up. This impacted our ability to extract all of the copper, and was another source of error. In the future, there are a few ways in which the accuracy of the lab can be improved. Extra care must be taken that all values for masses are as accurate as possible. The beaker in which the reaction is taking place should be in a stable, unmoving environment and should not be shaken when it is acquired to prevent any changes in the solution. Additionally, the extracted copper should be covered in polymer or glass to prevent oxidation. Not all reactions contain limiting reactants. If the reaction has the exact amount needed of every reactant to make a certain amount of product, each reactant will run out at the exact same time. Question #6: a) Wood is the limiting reactant. The wood will run out far before the oxygen will. b) Silver is the limiting reactant. There is much more available sulphur than there is silver. c) The baking powder in the cake is the limiting reactant. Since there is only one reactant (and heat) it must be the limiting reactant.

Calculation Sheet One: Determining the Limiting Reactant

Calculation Sheet Two: Theoretical & Percent Yield of Copper

Works Cited:
Smith, Mark. "Facts About Copper." Uses of Copper. USGS, 3 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 May 2013. Tuckerman, Mark. "Percentage Yield." Percentage Yield. NYU, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 May 2013.