Data Analysis:
Color of Original Compound Brown
Mass 1 of Weight Boat and Copper Chloride 4.662 g
Mass 2 of Weight Boat 2.154 g
Mass 3 of Copper Chloride 2.508 g
Mass 4 of Dry Filter Paper and Dry Copper 2.560 g
Mass 5 of Dry Filter Paper 1.083 g
Mass 6 of Dry Copper in the Sample 1.477 g
Mass 7 of Chlorine in the Sample 1.031 g
Percentage of Chlorine in the Compound 41.10% Cl
Percentage of Copper in the Compound 58.89% Cu
Moles of Copper in the Sample 0.02324 mol
Moles of Chlorine in the Sample 0.02901 mol
Mole Ratio of Chlorine to Copper 5 : 4
Empirical Formula of the Copper Chloride Cu4Cl5
Calculations Attached
Discussion:
In this lab we reached our purpose of finding the empirical formula of copper chloride, but we did not reach our hypothesis; because the empirical formula that we found was Cu4Cl5 and the formula for copper chloride is supposed to be CuCl2 , there must have been errors in our process. The first is that the filter paper and copper were not completely dry after filtering. The water molecules left in the filter paper and on the copper add mass to the total which would increase the mass of the copper which we derive the empirical formula from. The second error was that substances were added to the sample while it drying on the counter. Many things could have happened during this drying process, oxygen could have bonded to the copper making it heavier; someone could have touched our filter paper or our sample making oil and skin cells fall add to the mass. The third error was that there was extra chlorine still with the copper, which means that the copper had a substantial amount of extra mass besides the copper; and because there was a greenish blue layer over our copper it also proves that there was water in the solution. Overall my group made a few small mistakes which in the end caused our data to be inaccurate.
Conclusion:
In this lab the purpose was to reach an empirical formula for Copper Chloride, my lab group did...