Demonstration

Summary

In this demonstration, students see evidence of a chemical reaction. Usually done on the first day of school, this activity gets AP Chemistry students back into chemistry mode.

Grade Level

High school

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to

• Identify signs of a chemical change.
• Recognize a single replacement reaction.

Chemistry Topics

This lesson supports students’ understanding of

• Chemical change
• Limiting reagents
• Classification of reactions
•  Percent yield

Time

Teacher Preparation: 10 minutes

Lesson: 30 minutes

Materials

• Copper wire
• Known concentration of silver nitrate
• Graduated cylinder
• Beaker

Safety

Always wear safety goggles when working in a lab setting.

Teacher Notes

Record the mass of Cu before the experiment. Note the volume and molarity of the AgNO₃ solution.

Analysis answers

• Evidence of a chemical reaction: Copper wire gets “furry” and solution turns blue
• Type: single replacement
• Why: copper ionizes (aq/blue) and silver ions become silver metal (solid)
• Remaining answers are dependent on mass of copper and molarity and volume of AgNO₃ used. Note: this is a limiting reagent problem.

Downloads

• Teacher Guide.pdf
• Teacher Guide.doc
• Student Activity.pdf
• Student Activity.doc
  

Submitted by
Beth Maris
Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock, Arkansas

For the Student

First Day Review Demo

Lesson

Background

Your teacher will place copper wire into a silver nitrate solution.

Prelab question

Will a reaction occur and how do you know? 

Analysis

What evidence is there of a reaction? 

What kind of reaction took place?

Why does this happen?

Find out the molarity and volume used of silver nitrate and the mass of copper. What mass of silver should form? 

What is the value of the solid silver that was produced?

What is the percent yield?

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