Name: Elsie Di

Block C

Experiment 5B ​ Types of Chemical Reaction

ABSTRACT
What are the four main categories of chemical reaction?
The four main categories of chemical reactions are synthesis, decomposition, single replacement and double
replacement.

Briefly describe what happens in each of the four types of reaction

In single replacement, two substances combine to form a new substance. The opposite occurs in decomposition;
one substance decomposes to two. During single replacement, a single change of partners results whereas in
double replacement, two changes occur.

What are the objectives to this experiment?

During this lab, students will observe and record a plethora of chemical reactions then sort these reactions into the
four main categories.

What do you hypothesize for each reaction?

When copper metal will react with oxygen to form black copper oxide. Reaction two will form a n exothermic,
single replacement oxidation. The copper (II) chloride will eat away at the aluminum foil. Afterwards, the copper
(II) chloride will change colour as the aluminum atoms will replace the copper atoms. Reaction three will
decompose to a dehydrated form; water from the hydrate will be released and the hydrate will become an
anhydrous salt. For reaction four, adding water to the anhydrous salt will cause the salt to absorb the water and
turn back into a hydrate. In reaction five, the precipitate CaCO3 will be formed. Reaction six will result in hydrogen
gas formed. During reaction seven, bubbles of oxygen will be given off thus when the glowing splint is put in the
test tube, the oxygen will fuel the fire and relit the splint.

MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE

As per Essential Experiments for Chemistry pages 52–55 with the following changes:

1
1. 0.5 M copper (II) sulfate solution is substituted with 0.5 M copper (II) chloride solution
2. and iron nails are substituted with aluminum foil.
RESULTS
Reaction Before
Copper wire is solid and thin.
Approximately the size of my
pinkie finger. Wire is ductile,
malleable, with a shiny lustre.
1 minute, the part of the copper
The aluminum was a thin,
solid, shiny silver square. It
was easily manipulated; the
surface had a few creases
from being folded. In order to
fit into the test tube the foil
was crumpled into an oval
2 shape.
The 40 mL of copper (ii)
chloride solution was a
transparent blue liquid.
The solid copper (ii) sulfate
pentahydrate was a bunch of
small round balls, like salt. It
was a bright blue colour and
dull.
​3
Observations
During After
When the copper was heated,
small sparks were seen
floating in the air (this may
have been dust as my lab table
was near the windows and
had an ample amount of direct
sunlight). THere was no
Afterwards the entire wire had
obvious immediate reaction.
turned black in colour. It was
After approximately one
still solid, ductile and
malleable however now had a
wire in the flame had turned a
dull lustre. There was no
black colour. Soon after, the
noticeable size chang.e
part of the wire in the flame
glowed an orange red colour.
The wire nearer to the flame
was a white orange colour and
the part further away was a
red colour. There was a faint
glow.
The copper chloride had
turned a translucent, murky
maroon colour. There was
The moment the copper
condensation on the sides of
chloride solution was added
the test tube. Parts of the
into the test tube it began
aluminum foil had been eaten
eating away at the aluminum
away by the copper chloride.
foil. The colour began to
The leftover aluminum had
change for both the solution
patches with a rust like hue.
and the foil.
The aluminum was still a solid
and the unrusted parts were
still shiny.
COndensation and began
forming on the test tube
surface once heating
commenced. The
temperature of the test tube
also rapidly rose. Steam The copper sulfate was
begun rising from the test heated until it turned
tube shortly after heating. completely white. There was
After nine seconds the still steam rising from the
copper sulfate at the bottom test tube and condensation
of the test tube started on the surface of the test
turning into white colour. At tube.
22 seconds, the test tube
suddenly sucked back into
the test tube clamp. To
clarify, it shifted from the
clamp area to the parts of
 the test tube clamp
connected to the handle.
After approximately two
minutes, half of the copper
sulfate had turned a white
colour. The sulfate between
the blue and white areas was
a burnt orange colour. Steam
continued to rise from the
test tube and there was still
condensation on the test
tube surface.

The moment the water

The test tube still had some
condensation on the inner
surface. The solid copper (ii)
sulfate was white in colour
4 and had a dull lustre. The
copper sulfate towards the
top of the pile had a burnt
brown colour.
touched the copper sulfate, it
was absorbed by the sulfate.
All parts touched by water
immediately turned back to
the blue colour seen at the
start of reaction 3. The
border area between the
blue and white copper
sulfate was a dark brown
colour.
Afterwards, the anhydrous
copper sulfate had
completely absorbed all of
the added water and the
white colour changed back
into the blue colour seen at
the start of reaction 3

When the calcium chloride

The calcium chloride was a
transparent, colourless
liquid. The sodium carbonate
sodium was also transparent
5 cloud now took up the entire
and colourless.
Zinc is misshapen and lumpy.
It’s a light silver color with a
shiny lustre.
Hydrochloric acid is a
transparent, colourless
liquid.
6 fizzing out from the mossy
was poured into the sodium
The solution was now white
carbonate, a white cloud
and had the consistency of
bloomed from where the two
cotton stuffing. The white
liquids meet. The cloud’s
consistency was similar to
test tube; there was no
cotton stuffing. Originally the
longer clear liquid at the
cloud floated; it did not
bottom of the test tube.
touch the bottom of the test
tube.
The moment the acid was
added to the test tube
bubbles began streaming
from the mossy zinc. The
water turned a cloudy white
The hydrochloric acid turned
colour however the water
a cloudy white colour and
closest to the bottom of the
there was condensation on
test tube remained relatively
the inner surface of the test
clear. There seemed to be
tube. There were bubbles
some bubbles or maybe
steam rising from the surface
zinc. The mossy zinc was still
of the water however as our
a grey solid though
lab table was located by the
presumably smaller (as it was
window, it may have just
in the zinc, no measurements
been dust in the air or
could be taken).
reflections from the sunlight
on the test tube. After about
one minute, small pieces of
the mossy zinc were breaking
off. The water was bubbling.
 7

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS (SHOW YOUR CALCULATIONS)

1. In reaction 1, with what substance in the air did the copper react?
In reaction one, copper reacts with oxygen in the air to form black copper oxide.

2. a. In reaction 2, why was the copper (II) chloride bluish green?

Solid copper (II) chloride is brown however when water is added, the copper (II) chloride will absorb moisture to
form a blue dihydrate.

b. When reaction 2 completed, why did the copper (II) chloride solution turn colour?
During reaction two, copper (II) chloride solution reacts with aluminum foil to produce an exothermic single
replacement reaction. After the reaction, aluminum atoms have displaced the copper atoms to form aluminum
chloride and copper. Copper is rust brown in colour therefore when copper is integrated into the solution, the
solution will change colours.

3. What evidence is there that a chemical reaction occurred in reactions 3 and 4?

In reaction 3, the copper (ii) sulfate pentahydrate was a blue colour. However, after being heated the copper (ii)
sulfate pentahydrate turned a white colour. During the heating process, steam rose and condensation formed on
the inner surface of the test tube. This is evidence of a temperature increase. Colour and temperature change are
indicators of a chemical reaction, therefore, it can be concluded that there was a chemical change in reaction 3. In
reaction 4, when the water was added to the white copper (ii) sulfate, the colour changed from white to blue.

4. In reaction 5, one of the products is sodium chloride (table salt), which is highly soluble in water. Therefore,
what is the product that accounts for the precipitate that formed?
Though table salt was formed from the reaction, precipitates are insoluble solids. Therefore the precipitate for this
reaction isn’t sodium chloride but instead calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate has a low soluability point in
water therefore it is the precipitate.

5. a. What gas is formed in reaction 6?

When hydrochloric acid is added to mossy zinc, zinc metal displaces the hydrogen to form hydrogen gas.
 b. How could confirm its identity?
Hydrogen gas is flammable and makes a distinctive pop sound when ignited. Therefore, the presence of hydrogen
gas can be tested by putting a glowing splint into the opening of the test tube.

6. The formula for hydrogen peroxide is H​2​O​2​. Two products are formed in reaction 7, one is a gas and the other
is a common liquid. The manganese (IV) oxide catalyzes the reaction. What are the two products of the
reaction?
(a) What are the two products of the reaction?
Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to form water and oxygen. Manganese (IV) oxide speeds up the
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by giving off oxygen bubbles.

(b) What is a catalyst?

A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but is not directly used in the reaction.
Therefore, the products formed after a reaction will not contain the catalyst and the catalyst can be
chemically retrieved unchanged.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
1. In some industrial processes, solutions have impurities removed by single replacement reactions. In
electrolytic zinc processes, impurities of cadmium in the form of CdSO​4​ are removed from the electrolyte by
the addition of zinc dust. Write a balanced equation for this reaction.
CdSO4 + Zn ---> ZnSO4+ Cd

2. (a) Write the balanced equation for the electrolysis of water.

2 H2O → 2 H2 + O2
(b) What type of reaction is this?
This reaction is a decomposition reaction. The reaction starts with water and ends with water and oxygen
separated.

3. For each of the seven reactions in this experiment, (1) write a balanced chemical equation and (2) classify the
reactions as synthesis, decomposition, single replacement or double replacement.

REACTION BALANCED EQUATION CLASSIFICATION

 1 2​𝐶𝑢​(​𝑠​)+​𝑂​2(​𝑔​)→2​𝐶𝑢𝑂​(​𝑠​) Synthesis reaction

2 ​2Al(s)+3CuSO4(aq)→Al2(SO4)3(aq)+3Cu(s) Single replacement

reaction

3 ​𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂​4•5​𝐻​2​𝑂​(​𝑠​)+Δ→​𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂​4(​𝑠​)+5​𝐻​2​𝑂​(​𝑔​)↑ Decomposition
reaction

4 ​𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂​4(​𝑠​)+5​𝐻​2​𝑂​(l) →​𝐶𝑢𝑆𝑂​4•5​𝐻​2​𝑂​(​𝑠​) Synthesis reaction

5 ​CaCl2(aq)+Na2CO3(aq)=2NaCl(aq)+CaCO3(s) Double replacement

reaction

6 Zn (s) + 2HCl (aq) → ZnCl2 (aq) + H2 (g) + heat Single replacement

reaction

7 2H2O2(l) + 2MnO2(​𝑠)​ = 2H2O(l)+ 2MnO2(aq)+ O2(g) Decomposition

reaction

CONCLUSION
In this experiment, seven chemical reactions were performed, observed and recorded. The reactions were burning
copper, aluminum foil with copper (II) chloride, burning solid copper (II) pentahydrate then adding water to it,
mixing calcium chloride solution with sodium carbonate solution, adding to hydrochloric acid to mossy zinc and
adding manganese (IV) oxide to hydrogen peroxide solution. Throughout the lab, observations would be recorded
and the chemical reactions would be classified as one of the four main types.
When copper wire was held in the flame, it glowed an orange colour. Afterwards, the copper had turned from an
orange brown colour to black. After asking around, it was apparent that during this reaction, the copper should’ve
burned a green colour. Rust on the copper might have prevented the copper from burning properly thus resulting
in an absence of a green colour. It was hypothesized that the copper and oxygen would react causing the copper to
turn into black copper oxide. Once the copper was done heating, it had turned black thus proving the hypothesis
correct. For reaction two, it was hypothesized that the copper atoms in copper (II) chloride would be replaced by
aluminum atoms resulting in a colour change in the copper (II) chloride. At the end of the reaction, the blue copper
(II) chloride had indeed changed into a maroon colour. It was hypothesized that heating the solid copper (II) sulfate
pentahydrate would cause it to turn into an anhydrous salt and that adding water to the anhydrous salt would
cause it to turn back into a hydrate. When heating the pentahydrate, steam rose and the colour changed from blue
to white, indicators of a chemical change. It can be concluded that the pentahydrate did change into an anhydrous
salt. Adding water to the anhydrous salt caused the colour to turn back to blue, thus it can be assumed that the
anhydrous salt changed back into a hydrate, proving the hypothesis correct. For reaction five, it was predicted that
the precipitate CaCo3 would be formed. At the start of the reaction, calcium chloride and sodium carbonate were
both transparent colourless liquids. Once mixed, however, a cloudy white substance with the consistency of cotton
fluff formed. CaCo3 is a white solid; although it wasn’t separated from the liquids, the appearance of a substance
with a different color and consistency than the transparent liquids can be taken as evidence of a precipitate
forming. In reaction six, it was hypothesized that when hydrochloric acid was added to mossy zinc hydrogen gas
would be formed. The hydrochloric acid starting bubbling when added to the mossy zinc, indicating that a gas was
formed. The hypothesis for reaction seven was that the manganese (IV) oxide would act as a catalyst, speeding up
the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Oxygen bubbles will be given off thus when a
glowing splint is inserted into the mouth of the test tube, the oxygen will cause the splint to be relit. During the
lab, the glowing splint did indeed relight, proving the hypothesis right.
A systematic error that affected the results of this lab would be forgetting to check for rust on the copper wire.
Rust on the copper wire may be the reason why a green flame wasn’t produced during reaction one. This error
could’ve been prevented by polishing the wire with steel wool beforehand. Another systematic error is the over
pouring of chemical solutions. This most likely did not affect any of the reactions as aside from reaction, the rest
had the anticipated results however it is poor lab etiquette to do so.
New questions that emerge after this lab would be how many of these chemical reactions are used in the creation
of common everyday items? A large number of reactions were carried out so it wouldn’t be unlikely for at least
one to be used in the creation of a common household product.