Title: L5 Making salts 26 July 2025
Starter: 5 MINS
Think task: Can you name this hazard signs?
Independent task: answer to the following question:
A student wants to investigate the reactivity of the four metals.
What could the student could use to investigate the relative reactivity of the four
metals, W, X, Y and Z?
All four metals react exothermically with dilute sulfuric acid.
1. What would be your independent variable?
2. What would be your dependent variable?
3. What would be your control variables?
Keywords: soluble, insoluble,dissolved, filtration,excess
Hazard sign
Corrosive
Outcomes:
Write up a step by step method for required practical 1 with
observations.
Take a picture of the crystals formed and upload into the practical
document.
Prior Knowledge:
Match the acid used to the type of salt it will produce, write them in your
exercise books:
Hydrochloric acid sulphate
Sulphuric acid chloride
Nitric acid nitrate
Stretch: Explain why the reaction between a metal
and a dilute acid is said to be a redox reaction.
Making salts:
Salts can be made from acids by reacting them with solid insoluble
substances, such as metal oxides, hydroxides or carbonates (alkalis).
NEUTRALISATION
The general equations for these reactions are as follows:
• Acid + metal oxide salt + water
• Acid + metal hydroxide salt + water
• Acid + metal carbonate salt + water + carbon dioxide
From last lesson you should be able to predict the names of the salts
produced in each case.
Progress Check:
1. Write the following sentences in the correct order to describe
how copper sulphate crystals could be produced
experimentally…
Use a filter funnel and
paper to remove
unreacted copper(II) oxide
Stop adding copper(II) by filtration.
oxide once it is present in
excess.
Add copper(II) oxide a
little at a time and allow it
Allow crystals to form by to react.
letting the solution cool
and evaporate.
2. Write the word equation Pour dilute sulfuric acid
into a beaker and heat it.
3. Write the symbol equation
Progress Check:
1.
Pour dilute sulfuric acid
into a beaker and heat it.
2
Add copper(II) oxide a
little at a time and allow it
to react.
3
Stop adding copper(II)
oxide once it is present in
excess.
4 Use a filter funnel and
paper to remove
unreacted copper(II) oxide
by filtration. 5. Allow crystals to form by
letting the solution cool
and evaporate.
Required Practical 1:
Method:
1.Pour about 40cm3 of sulphuric acid into the small beaker.
2.Warm the acid on the tripod to no more than 50oC. (Do not overheat it.)
3.Add a little copper oxide powder to the acid and stir (note colour change)
4.If all the copper oxide reacts, add a little more. Stop when the copper oxide will
no longer dissolve (note colour change/reversal)
5.Filter the mixture and collect the filtrate in the evaporating dish.
6.Heat the evaporating dish until the liquid boils and then allow it
to cool.
7.Leave the dish and solution to
stand for a few days.
Annotate the diagrams to
describe what is
happening during each
stage.
Making a soluble salt from sulphuric acid by reacting with solid insoluble
copper (II) oxide
Formulae of salts:
Salts are made up from positive metal ions (or ammonium ions, NH4+) and
a negative ion from the acid that has been used.
Common positive ions Common negative ions
Group 1 metals = Li+, Na+, K+ Group 7 = F-, Cl-, Br-, I-
Group 2 metals = Mg2+, Ca2+ Nitrate = NO3-
Aluminium = Al3+ Sulphate = SO42-
Ammonium ion = NH4+
Transition metals vary
All ionic compounds must have a neutral overall charge.
Therefore the sum of the charges in the ionic compound must equal zero. So once you
know the ions involved, you can work out the ionic formula.
E.g. Sodium chloride; Na+ and Cl-. Therefore the formula is NaCl as the 1+ ion is
balanced out by the 1- ion.
Practice the formula formula:
Task 1 – Complete the table
Task 2 – Can you spot the mistakes in the following table?
Extra Challenge - Name the
compound and write the
formulae of both the positive
and negative ions present.
a CoCl3 b K3BO3
C Na3PO4 d Mg(ClO3)2
E Co2(CO3)3
Task 1: Copy these statements and say if they are true or false, for any
that are false, say why…
1. Soluble salts can be made by reacting an acid with an insoluble reactant.
T/F
2. The acid may be warmed to slow down the reaction with the insoluble reactant.
T/F
3. When all the acid is used up the excess insoluble reactant dissolves in the water. T/F
4. Excess insoluble reactant can be removed by filtering the mixture.
T/F
5. The filtrate is the excess insoluble reactant.
T/F
6. The solution collected in an evaporating dish is only the soluble salt and water.
T/F
7. Sodium carbonate is soluble in water and so can be used to form a soluble salt by reaction
with an acid and filtration.
T/F
Task 2:
Explain in detail how a sample of copper nitrate crystals could be made. In your
explanation you should include the reactants that you are going to use to make
the crystals. Include a word and symbol equation in your answer.
Task 1: Copy these statements and say if they are true or false, for any
that are false, say why…
1. Soluble salts can be made by reacting an acid with an insoluble reactant.
T/F
2. The acid may be warmed to slow down the reaction with the insoluble reactant.
T/F
3. When all the acid is used up the excess insoluble reactant dissolves in the water. T/F
4. Excess insoluble reactant can be removed by filtering the mixture.
T/F
5. The filtrate is the excess insoluble reactant.
T/F
6. The solution collected in an evaporating dish is only the soluble salt and water.
T/F
7. Sodium carbonate is soluble in water and so can be used to form a soluble salt by reaction
with an acid and filtration.
T/F
Task 2:
Explain in detail how a sample of copper nitrate crystals could be made. In your
explanation you should include the reactants that you are going to use to make
the crystals. Include a word and symbol equation in your answer.
Activity:
Complete the following word equations to show what is produced in
each of the neutralisation reactions:
1.Zinc oxide + sulphuric acid
2.Copper carbonate + sulphuric acid
3.Sodium hydroxide + hydrochloric acid
4.Calcium hydroxide + sulphuric acid
5.Magnesium oxide + nitric acid
6.Lithium hydroxide + sulphuric acid
7.Copper oxide + nitric acid
8.Zinc carbonate + hydrochloric acid
Stretch:
Write balanced equations for the reactions in 2, 4 and 7 above. Use the
following formula to help:
HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 CuCO3
H2SO4 Ca(OH)2 CaSO4
HCl CaCl2 H2O
Progress Check:
0-3 4-6 7-
11
1. Zinc sulphate + water
2. Copper sulphate + water + carbon dioxide
3. Sodium chloride + water
4. Calcium sulphate + water
5. Magnesium nitrate + water
6. Lithium sulphate + water
7. Copper nitrate + water
8. Zinc chloride + water + carbon dioxide
Higher:
CuCO3 + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O + CO2
Ca(OH)2 + H2SO4 CaSO4 + 2H2O
CuO + 2HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + H2O
ANSWERS
Named apparatus
• thermometer, measuring cylinder, stirring rod, spatula, plastic cup (with lid) or beaker,
stopwatch, filter paper or watch glass, balance
Method
1. • weigh the same mass of each metal in each same state of division eg powder
2. • measure a set volume of sulfuric acid into a plastic cup or beaker
3. • measure and record the temperature of the sulfuric acid
4. • add metal W into the plastic cup or beaker
5. • stir and record the highest temperature or record the temperature after a set time
6. • calculate the increase in temperature
7. • repeat the method for metals X, Y and Z
8. • repeat for each metal at least three times to calculate a mean
Safe use
• comment on safe use should include wearing safety glasses
