Preparing a salt – practical videos | 14–16 students | Resource

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Learn how to prepare a sample of pure, dry, hydrated copper sulfate crystals from copper oxide

Mrs Peers Dent from Malmesbury Education uses an excess of copper (II) oxide to neutralise sulfuric acid creating copper sulfate in aqueous solution. She uses filtration and evaporation techniques to produce pure dry crystals of the hydrated salt.

Also check out

Reacting copper(II) oxide with sulfuric acid – outline of a class practical in association with Nuffield Foundation.
Preparing salts by neutralisation of oxides and carbonates – two further class practicals developed with Nuffield Foundation.
Acids and bases: creating solutions – CPD article focussing on students’ misconceptions around this topic.

Once students have made a hydrated salt, they may be required to find the formula by calculation. Dr Sarah Sephton talks through different methods to find the formula based on various unknowns.

To be able to calculate the amount of water, you must first dehydrate the sample, as demonstrated in this short video from the Just Add Water lecture series by Dr Peter Wothers.

Just Add Water: 02 - Copper Sulphate

Also check out

Finding the formula of hydrated copper(II) sulfate – a class practical experiment in association with Nuffield Foundation.
Finding the formula of copper(II) oxide – outline of class practical or demonstration, with Nuffield Foundation.

Additional information

We have collated these videos of key practical experiments to support remote teaching as part of our response to Covid-19. Teachers requested resources to help them deliver practical content without access to laboratories or equipment. We are developing further resources and welcome feedback to help us produce those you most need. Please email us or use the comment section below.