Excess dilute sulfuric acid is added to a solid sample of a copper compound - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 4
Excess dilute sulfuric acid is added to a solid sample of a copper compound. A gas is given off and a blue solution is formed.
(i) The gas turns limewater cloudy.
E... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Excess dilute sulfuric acid is added to a solid sample of a copper compound - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain how this result is used to identify the anion in the copper compound.
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Answer
When the gas produced is carbon dioxide (CO₂), it reacts with limewater (a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide) to form calcium carbonate. This reaction is indicated by the limewater turning cloudy, which confirms the presence of carbonate ions (CO₃²⁻) in the copper compound. Therefore, the formation of a cloudy solution of limewater serves as a test for the presence of carbonate anions.
Step 2
Give the name or the formula of the pale blue precipitate.
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Answer
The pale blue precipitate formed when sodium hydroxide is added to the blue solution is copper(II) hydroxide, which has the formula Cu(OH)₂.
Step 3
Write the ionic equation, including state symbols, for this reaction.
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Answer
The ionic equation for the reaction between barium chloride and sulfate ions is:
extBa2+(aq)+extSO42−(aq)ightarrowextBaSO4(s)
In this equation, barium ions ( ext{Ba}^{2+}) and sulfate ions ( ext{SO}_4^{2-}) are in aqueous solution (aq), and barium sulfate (BaSO₄) is a solid precipitate (s).