Aluminum and Blue Stuff Lab

Aluminum and Blue Stuff Lab

Physical Description

Before

• liquid
  • clear
  • blue
• aluminum
  • shiny
  • silver-colored

After

• liquid
  • clear
  • colorless
• aluminum
  • shiny
  • silver-colored
  • smaller
• red-stuff
  • sponge-like
  • red-brown/rust colored
  • some on bottom of vial, some clinging to aluminum

Particle Diagram

Before

After

Chemical Symbols/Equation

Before

3CuCl₂+2Al

After

2AlCl₃+3Cu

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In our lab, we started with aluminum foil in a ball and a blue liquid in a vial. We took no quantitative measurements, but we were given the elements used in the reaction. The blue liquid was copper chloride, and the ball of metal was, as stated, aluminum. Using tests, we figured out that the red sponge material that resulted from the reaction was copper, and that the liquid (which had turned colorless) was aluminum chloride. Using the periodic table, we figured out that aluminum had three bonds, so it needed to have three chlorine atoms attached (since they only had one bond). This meant that there would have to be three of the copper chloride molecules in the reactants so that there would be six chlorine atoms, which could be used to form two aluminum chloride molecules. In order to have the two aluminum necessary for the two molecules in the product, I put a 2 in front of the aluminum in the reactants, and a 3 in front of the copper in the product to account for the three copper used in the molecules in the reactants. This allowed me to have an accurate representation and number of molecules in my particle diagram by specifying the number of molecules minimum needed to represent the reaction and teaching me how many of what atoms were bonded to what.