Leandra Freitas

COPPER MINING LAB

Background


Toxicity is the danger of chemical substances that can harm oneself or others in the environment.
The most common known method to measure toxicity is by using LD50. LD50 is the lethal dose of which
50% of the population are killed in a given amount of time. Scientists would take the amount of toxicity,
measure it in milligrams of the substance per kilogram. Theres toxicity everywhere around us. A toxic
substance is a chemical thats harmful to the environment as well as our immune systems. Any
substance can be toxic depending on the amount of substance you were to insert into a mixture of other
chemicals. The more chemicals you add to the substance, the more toxic the substance can become,
due to the fact that you put an excessive amount of the chemicals you didnt need.

E-waste is an abbreviated word that stands for Electronic waste. Electronic waste consists of our
cell phone devices, tablets, game controllers, T.V.s, tablets, laptop, etc.. Electronic waste is a very
problematic issue we have in the United States. We cant throw our hand-held devices, or our computers
due to the amount of Copper as well as other metals that are contained into the devices. Since e-waste
is a very serious issue, we have factories that are willing to physically by hand take out all the hazardous
metals that are contained in our everyday lives. The batteries are the first things that the workers of the
factory have to take out so they can access the other metals that are inquired into the devices. If they
were to discard the e-waste the way we were to throw away our old books we no longer needed, we
would be creating more toxicity in the environment as well as more chemical toxins thatll affect our
immune systems.

There are many environmental risks that are associated with copper mining. One
major environmental risk that occurs from copper mining is it creates potholes and sinkholes into
the communities. Also, another environmental risks that takes place due to copper mining is it affects the
health of citizens that are residing in their communities. For instance, if there was a contaminated
amount of leakage on our soil that we walk on, itll slowly affect our immune systems and can cause us to
have difficulty breathing and can cause cancer in all areas of the body. A major risk that affects us
caused by copper mining, is it can also create erosions. An erosion is the process where the earth starts
slowly falling apart due to the movement of water.

Industrial waste is the pollution that comes from mills, factories, as well as mines. Some
chemicals that are commonly found in industrial waste are lead, copper, and paints. Lead and paint can
affect humans by affecting humans muscle growth. These chemicals that are commonly found in
industrial waste can cause the humans to have cancerous cells inside their body. Also, these toxic
chemicals can affect your speech impairment.



Part 1: Building a Copper Mine


PROCEDURE
Assemble the following materials in a beaker, in the following order.
You must wear safety goggles and gloves at all times.

Layer 1: Add about 0.5 cm of Copper Sulfate (CuSO
4
) crystals (Root Killer)
Cover with water
Cover with filter paper
Layer 2: Add about 0.5 cm of Sodium Chloride crystals
Cover with water
Cover with filter paper
Add a few dashes of iron fillings
Add a small layer of pebbles.
Cover with parafilm, but pierce with a few holes.
Cover with water
Record initial observations.



OBSERVATIONS

Day 1 Day 2



Day 3 Day 4







ANALYSIS

1. Write the dissolution reaction for the root killer (CuSO
4
) in the bottom layer of the beaker.



CuSO
4 2-
Cu
2+
+ SO
4
2-




2. Write the dissolution reaction for the sodium chloride (NaCl) in the second layer of the beaker.





3. Write a balanced single replacement reaction for what is happening between the CuSO
4
solution and the iron (Fe)
metal.








Part 2: Extracting Copper Metal from Malachite Ore

PRE-LAB NOTES:
1. Apparatus:


2. Safety:
Sulfuric Acid
DIRECTIONS:
DAY 1:
1. Record your observations of the crushed malachite ore.
2. Find and record the mass of your sample of crushed malachite ore on top of it.
3. Add the crushed malachite to a beaker.
4. Cover the malachite with sulfuric acid.
5. Record your observations.
DAY 2:
6. Place a beaker under the funnel to collect the filtrate, as shown in the diagram on the previous page. Filter the
malachite pieces out of the reaction mixture by pouring it through a piece of filter paper sitting inside of a funnel.
7. Remove the filter paper, and set it out to dry. Use a permanent marker to put your initials on the filter paper.
8. Take about half of your filtrate, and pour it into one of the two flasks that I have labelled as copper mining
waste. We will need some of this filtrate for part 3 of the lab!
9. Separate your remaining filtrate into 2 test tubes.
10. Add a few dashes of Fe (iron) to one of the test tubes with filtrate. Record your observations.
11. Add a few pieces of Zn (zinc) metal to the second test tubes with filtrate. Record your observations.
12. Cover your beaker with parafilm, put your names on it, and leave it on the back table.
DAY 3:
13. Determine and record the mass of the dried malachite waste.
14. Take a second set of observations of your filtrate in each of the two test tubes.
15. Throw out your malachite waste.
16. Thoroughly clean your lab supplies.
DATA TABLE:
Observations Mass
Crushed Ore
I can see crystals at the bottom of the beaker. Water is brownish-
orange.
288g
Malachite powder
and sulfuric acid
The top is starting to break apart and no change at the bottom of
the beaker.

Malachite solid
waste
The pebbles are becoming orange due to the dye of the
chemicals that are adhered onto the beaker.
287.5g
Filtrate
The water is clear and see through. Has a tint of green
Filtrate plus iron
(Fe)
OBSERVATION 1

The water begins to become cloudy, also starts to bubble.


OBSERVATION 2

Filtrate plus zinc
(Zn)
OBSERVATION 1
The zinc makes the water much darker. The metal stays at the bottom.


OBSERVATION 2


ANALYSIS
Below are the chemical reactions that take place in this lab: The first is the reaction that occurs when you
mix sulfuric acid with the malachite. The second is the reaction that occurs when you add zinc to the
filtrate. The third is the reaction that occurs when you add zinc to the filtrate. The third is the reaction
that occurs when you add iron to the filtrate.
1) The first reactions are already balanced, without needing to add any coefficients.
2) Balance the third reaction. Show your work.

CuCO
3(aq)
+ H
2
SO
4(aq)
CuSO
4 (aq)
+ CO
2(g)
+ H
2
O
(l)


CuSO
4(aq)
+ Zn
(s)
Cu
(s)
+ ZnSO
4 (aq)


4CuSO
4(aq)
+ 3Fe
(s)
3Cu
(s)
+ _ Fe
2
(SO
4
)
3(aq)


REACTANTS PRODUCTS
Cu
1

1

SO
4

1 3

3

Fe
1 2

2


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What percentage of the rock sample ended up as solid waste?






Part 3: Treating Acidic Runoff


1. Determine the pH of your acid waste, using pH paper. Record the pH here: .
2. Add 3-4 drops of universal indicator solution. Note the color: 3 .
3. Pour a little bit of NaOH into your beaker. 4
4. Determine the pH of your NaOH, using pH paper. Record the pH here: 3 .
5. Add 3-4 drops of universal indicator solution to the beaker. Note the color: 12 .
6. Slowly start adding NaOH to your acid waste, until the solution has been neutralized.
7. Once your waste is neutralized, double check the pH with pH paper. Note the pH: 7.4 .
Once youre done, pour the waste down the drain with lots of water.

DISCUSSION

1. What did you do to clean up the acidic waste produced in this lab?







2. The acid in your toxic waste is leftover H
2
SO
4
(sulfuric acid). You neutralized the waste by adding NaOH (sodium
hydroxide). Write the balanced neutralization reaction for mixing sulfuric acid with sodium hydroxide.











Conclusion:
In 1-2 paragraphs, answer the essential question for unit 4:
How can I use my knowledge of chemistry to understand the ways in which our modern lifestyle is
damaging to the planet?



I can use my knowledge of chemistry to understand the ways in how our modern lifestyle
is damaging to the planet by using the concepts Ive learned in Chemistry for the past few months. With
understanding how to draw ionic compounds, I can figure out which ions are soluble and are dissoluble.
Also, once I started comprehended the soluble and dissoluble solutions, I am able to figure out what the
precipitate, and spectator ions are. This knowledge will help me understand how all the chemicals that we
have on this Earth are made and what substances are used in order for its commercial uses to work
properly.