Hydrates of Copper

HYDRATES OF COPPER SULFATE AND THE UNKNOWN LIQUID



01/19/2003


Introduction
This experiment was done to learn about true hydrates and the reactions that take place under different circumstances. It was hypothesized that the heating of copper sulfate would create an unknown liquid in a test tube and that unknown liquid would be sufficient to test for its identity. The hydrate that was used in this experiment was copper sulfate.
Methods
At the beginning of this experiment,.77grams of copper sulfate was heated and the liquid that developed due to the heating was allowed to evaporate. After the copper sulfate was heated and dried it was allowed to cool. At that time, it was measured again. Those results were used to design the second part of the experiment so that the appropriate amount of copper sulfate would be used. After the dry copper sulfate was cooled and measured, deionized water was added to the substance and the reaction was observed.
During the second par...