Redox Reaction Between Copper And Photosynthesis Lab

Introduction:
Copper has played a vital role in past civilizations and continues to do so today due to its many properties as a metal. Although advantageous in today’s economy and also in human bodies, high concentrations of copper can prove toxic to our health and even pollutant to the environment. By altering the element through a number of chemical reactions including redox, metathesis, decomposition, and single replacement reactions, the cycle will be complete once solid copper is recovered. Attempting to create a diagram of the ecological cycle of copper must require knowledge about copper’s chemical cycle first, which may then allow for the development of possible solutions to copper pollution.

Materials and Methods: In order to conduct
The balanced equation of the reaction was Cu(s) + 4HNO3(aq) -> Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l). This is an example of a redox reaction since metal copper was oxidized from Cu to Cu+2 and nitrogen was reduced with an oxidation number of +5 to +4 after the reaction. The redox reaction can also be identified by how the reaction began first with an element, copper, before forming a compound of copper nitrate. After nitric acid was added and the copper turnings began to dissolve, a chemical change was observed since small amounts of dark, brown gas was released in the form of nitrogen oxide. The production of a gas makes this a gas formation reaction as well. It is also important to note that NO2 is one of the main contributors of air pollution. Then, the first step of the cycle was complete once the solution turned to a light blue color as copper nitrate. For the second step of the cycle, copper nitrate with the addition of sodium hydroxide is altered to form copper hydroxide. The balanced equation was Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2 NaOH(aq) -> Cu(OH)2(s) + 2NaNO3(aq) while the total ionic equation was [Cu 2+ + 2NO3-](aq) + [2Na+ + 2OH-](aq) -> Cu(OH)2(s) + [2Na+ + 2NO3-](aq). The ionic equation can be gained by separating all soluble ionic compounds into their individual ionic components. This reaction can be defined as a metathesis
The balanced equation was CuO(s) + H2SO4(aq) -> CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l) while the total ionic equation was CuO(s) + [2H+ + SO42-] (aq) -> [Cu2+ + SO42-](aq) + H2O(l). Having known the total ionic equation, the net ionic equation can be gained from removing any spectator ions from the total ionic equation, thus giving CuO(s) + 2H+(aq) -> Cu2+(aq) + H2O(l). This is a metathesis or double replacement reaction since the groups recombined. Copper oxide recombined with SO4 to form copper sulfate while sulfuric acid exchanged SO4 for oxygen, thus producing water. This is also an acid-base reaction since the base of CuO(s) is placed with an acid of H2SO4(aq), producing copper sulfate, a salt, and water. The acid and base properties were neutralized once combined and allowed for the development of a light blue solution. It is important to notice after this step of the cycle that large amounts of copper sulfate, the product, can have adverse environmental and ecological effects due to its toxicity. For the fifth and final step of the cycle, 0.3004 grams of zinc is used to react with copper sulfate, generating zinc sulfate and solid copper. The balanced equation includes CuSO4(aq) + Zn(s) -> Cu(s) + ZnSO4(aq). Since zinc replaced copper in the sulfate compound, this indicates a single replacement reaction. Additionally, zinc is oxidized by becoming Zn2+