Copper To Silver To Gold Lab Report
Copper to Silver to Gold—A Comparison of Physical and Chemical Changes
(Adapted from Abra-Ka-Dabra by C. M. Bires.)
Introduction
Hundreds of years ago, noblemen and women would pay large sums of money to alchemists. These early chemists were similar to modern-day illusionists in that they used a little science, a few tricks, and some acting to convince their clients that they had the ability to transform base metals into pure gold. Although these alchemists were eventually revealed as charlatans, the field of modern chemistry was born out of their efforts to understand matter and its properties.
In this lab, students will perform one of the classical alchemist shows by turning and ordinary penny into “silver” and then “gold.” Chemically speaking, …show more content…
Carefully rinse the penny with tap water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Avoid handling the penny with your bare hands (use tongs) due to contamination from finger oils. If your finger does touch the penny, either use another one, or re-rinse the original penny if you have not already started the lab.
2. Weigh the penny using the analytical balance and weighing paper. Record the mass in your lab notebook. Use digits to the hundredths or thousands, as this will make your final mass comparisons more accurate.
3. Using tongs, place the penny in the heated solution of sodium zincate and sodium hydroxide. Leave the penny in the solution for about two minutes. The penny should turn a silver color at this point. If by two minutes it has not, leave in for an additional 30 seconds. If at this point, the penny is still not “silver”, use a different penny, making sure to clean it properly. Record your observations in your lab notebook.
4. Using tongs, remove the penny. Picking up the penny from the bottom of the beaker can be difficult, so try to put the tongs in as parallel to the bottom of the beaker as possible. After removal, rinse it with tap water. Do not touch the penny with your bare hands prior to rinsing, as residual sodium hydroxide can burn your
(Adapted from Abra-Ka-Dabra by C. M. Bires.)
Introduction
Hundreds of years ago, noblemen and women would pay large sums of money to alchemists. These early chemists were similar to modern-day illusionists in that they used a little science, a few tricks, and some acting to convince their clients that they had the ability to transform base metals into pure gold. Although these alchemists were eventually revealed as charlatans, the field of modern chemistry was born out of their efforts to understand matter and its properties.
In this lab, students will perform one of the classical alchemist shows by turning and ordinary penny into “silver” and then “gold.” Chemically speaking, …show more content…
Carefully rinse the penny with tap water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Avoid handling the penny with your bare hands (use tongs) due to contamination from finger oils. If your finger does touch the penny, either use another one, or re-rinse the original penny if you have not already started the lab.
2. Weigh the penny using the analytical balance and weighing paper. Record the mass in your lab notebook. Use digits to the hundredths or thousands, as this will make your final mass comparisons more accurate.
3. Using tongs, place the penny in the heated solution of sodium zincate and sodium hydroxide. Leave the penny in the solution for about two minutes. The penny should turn a silver color at this point. If by two minutes it has not, leave in for an additional 30 seconds. If at this point, the penny is still not “silver”, use a different penny, making sure to clean it properly. Record your observations in your lab notebook.
4. Using tongs, remove the penny. Picking up the penny from the bottom of the beaker can be difficult, so try to put the tongs in as parallel to the bottom of the beaker as possible. After removal, rinse it with tap water. Do not touch the penny with your bare hands prior to rinsing, as residual sodium hydroxide can burn your