Making Soluble Salts using a Unsoluable Base
What is a base?
- Any chemical that neutralises acids to make a salt and water only
Method
- Collect the equipment required
- Place conical flask in a waterbath heated to 50oC
- Ensure the temperature remains constant using a thermometer
- Pour 20cm3 of sulphuric acid into a measuring cylinder and move into the conical flask
- React one spatula of copper oxide
- Stir carefully until all the oxide is dissolved
- Observe the appearance of the reagents and record the observation
- Until you see copper oxide excess, keep adding one spatula at a time
- Place a filter funnel on a mouth of another conical flask and line the funnel with filter paper
- Add water to the funnel so the paper stays in place
- Pour solution through the filter funnel
- Dispose of the precipiate in the filter paper appropiately
- Collect the filtrate and pour into an evaporating basin
- Heat the filtrate in the evaporating basin by placing it over a beaker of water heated by a bunsen burner
- When crystals form, remove the basin from the heat immediately
- Place the evaporating basin on a window sill to evaporate remaining water
- Ensure your basin is labelled with your name and appropiate hazard symbols