6.03 Calorimetry Lab

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Get a piece of copper wire, proceed to clean it with steel wool and clean it until the surface is shiny.
Using the electronic balance given, mass the copper wire and record it in the data table.
Put the copper into a 150 mL beaker. When placed in the beaker, the Copper needs to be smashed down flat. Place the beaker with the Copper in it, in the fume hood.
Proceed to carefully add 12 mL of concentrated Nitric acid ( HNO3 ) into the beaker.
Let all the copper dissolve, slowly add 100 mL of distilled water into the beaker. Mass the leftover Copper and mass of Copper used in the reaction.
Stir the solution with a glass rod, and add 20.0 mL of dilute NaOH, do this carefully.
Test the solution with red litmus paper to see if the solution is basic, if so it will turn blue. If it does not turn blue then add another 5.0 mL of NaOH until it does turn blue, this step may be repeated 4-8 times until the red litmus paper turns blue.
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The mixture will bubble up if not stirred continuously. The precipitate will start to clump together and sink to the bottom. Once it starts turning colors, immediately turn off the heat.
After the reaction is complete, remove the beaker from the heat source. Do not stop stirring until the mixture has been stirred for a full minute off the heat source.
Decant the liquid layer without letting any of the solid spill out, be careful with this step.
Begin boiling 100 mL of distilled water to add to the precipitate. Once added let all of the solid settle to the bottom. Then decant it again. This step will be done