Make Copper Metal from Aluminum Foil - Our #1 Home Chemistry Experiment

Рет қаралды 49,015

Күн бұрын

In this chemistry experiment video, we take you step by step how to make elemental copper metal from aluminum foil and copper sulfate, and explain all aspects of the procedure & chemical reaction in detail.
This experiment ranks #1 in our list of home chemistry experiments, because of the ease of its procedure, ease of getting the necessary materials, dramatic results, usefulness for future experiments, and lack of corrosive acids or bases used.
Because copper sulfate is toxic, it must be handled by adults only and stored in a place secured from kids. It is important copper sulfate is not ingested, inhaled or in contact with the skin.
Chemical reaction: 2Al + 3CuSO4 → Al2(SO4)3 + 3Cu
Expected yield of elemental copper is 63.55*(50.0/249.68) = 12.7 grams.
After 2 days of drying, we ended up with 12.65 grams of Cu, for a fantastic yield of 99.6%.
ChemTalk website: chemistrytalk.org
Instagram: / chemtalk
Twitter: / chem_talk
Facebook: / chemtalkorg
#HomeChemistry #ChemistryExperiment #Copper #Reaction #Elements

Пікірлер: 99

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

All questions in the comments will be answered. Let us know what your favorite chemistry experiment is, and thank for watching!

@BillAdams001 7 ай бұрын

I've always had a love for inorganic chemistry and non-biological carbon chemistry. However, gourmet cooking is a great way to apply chemistry and especially organic chemistry. Neat experiment converting aluminum foil to elemental copper.

@R462venom 3 жыл бұрын

I did a similar thing with Copper Sulphate and Zinc Oxide. I love displacement reactions! Feels like transmutation.

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

thanks Aelios, we love them too! We have a few more planned with interesting metals.

@midwestchem368 9 ай бұрын

I love this reaction it was my favorite early on! I'm re doing this as I need copper powder for stabilizing methyl iodide a bit. Great video!

@alinnthit1396 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for knowledge sharing✌️

@otilium7503 Жыл бұрын

That's a nice video, thank you!

@alienrocketscienceshared8454 6 ай бұрын

I would think with your experience you would know what the NaCl does in the reaction. Count the electrons in the reaction vessel and consider the reactivity of chlorine together with the rectivity series of metals. Copper is the least reactive of all the metals involved, so it is left behind. Sodium is the most reactive, so it creates a side reaction where HCl is created. It is with this side reaction where aluminum and copper trade places in the solution.

@StevenSchoolAlchemy Жыл бұрын

THIS sounds interesting

@ChemTalk Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@wackyandbrainy 3 жыл бұрын

Nice one! Thanks for another great experiment video. I did a similar experiment on my channel, but with Copper ii Chloride instead of Sulfate. I recommend that one too!

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

I will check it out

@BeastM140i 3 жыл бұрын

Heh the more you know about coordination chemistry! I know nothing about it, I’m an organic chemist 😅. I was quite bad at redox when I was in school, but it was always really interesting! Thanks for sharing

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

Your very welcome!

@amrendramishra545 7 ай бұрын

Vv nice experiment

@alisachristophero206 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting for cleaning our environment

@AshokKumar-kz6uz 2 жыл бұрын

Nice experiment!thanks lot...sir..pry for good wishes....

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

thanks Ashok!

@jancyjeevan2237 Ай бұрын

Very useful video

@elvishicks1345 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice video, very interesting

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

thanks Elvis!

@joshuatanase3718 10 ай бұрын

Hi there. What's the max temperature the hot plate in the video (four e's model Mi0102003) gets to when you use the thermometer probe?

@hariharank2363 7 ай бұрын

very nice informative video..How is nichrome powder is prepared please can u post any video?

@generalingwer4341 10 ай бұрын

Very nice video.i may try that to source my copper for copper acetate.aluminium foil being more abundant at times than actual copper.

@dragonslayer7027 2 жыл бұрын

16:00 i suggest getting actual filter paper (i dunno what its chemically called or wtvr), but i did the same experiment to extract the Aluminium Sulphate, and the filter paper from my lab did the filtration in one go, making the solution clear as water (possibly slightly milky). it goes a long way when conducting experiments for your IB IA's and Extended Essays and just saves you a lot of time!

@cheeks3976 2 жыл бұрын

you most likely used a low retention value (imo

@thescienceboy9559 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, Thanks for explaining the process in great detail and showing the full process till the end. I have one question, Copper Sulphate is highly toxic when poured down the drain so, is the aluminum sulphate generated and all the other waste products safe to be drained down? I will be doing some electrochemistry and basic reactions with it and I am quite worried about copper sulphate waste. Is this method a good way to dispose waste solution of copper sulphate? I would appreciate some opinions and ideas

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

Your welcome! Aluminum sulfate is the only "waste" and it is very safe to pour down the drain. For copper sulfate solution, you can simply save it for more cool copper chemistry experiments.

@davidsmith4467 Жыл бұрын

I'm curious. if you used Epson salts and electrolysis with a clay pot barrier, and using copper attached (sacrificial) electrodes to manufacture copper sulfate. And then reversed to results as you have done, what would be the net loss of copper?

@Lawtonfl 3 жыл бұрын

This is very interesting, does anyone have a proposed mechanism for why the NaCl allows the copper sulfate to bipass the oxide layer?

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

Great question! The micro-thin oxide layer imparts remarkable resistance to aluminum. The problem with trying to bypass the passivation layer (oxide layer) of aluminum is that it repairs itself very quickly. Yet, chloride is somehow able to do it. Several theories have been proposed why the chloride ion has this effect, but most have not help up to further testing. So even though this has been thoroughly studied, there is no consensus. All that is for sure, is that the chloride ions attack the oxide-layer, penetrate it and somehow reach the oxide-metal interface.

@dogodogo5891 2 жыл бұрын

hi i need ur help i tried to make some cu sulphate by using electorlysis copper in h2so4, bu t i dont realized it was ALUMINUM COPPER COATED WIRE not pure copper and my mistske i used too much ampere@ 12 V from dekstop psu and solution become vigorously reacted till next morning even whrn i unplug cord, what do you think then reaction it was? can i recover my copper as powder?

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

Aluminum will react vigorously with sulfuric acid to produce aluminum sulfate. You need to react the copper with hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide.

@shawanalee3752 Жыл бұрын

I came across your video looking for crystals for grounding a person. What is your use for creating copper? I enjoyed the video 🙂

@ChemTalk Жыл бұрын

thanks Shawana!The real question, who would NOT want to make copper?

@chasharris1976 6 ай бұрын

wow

@theelectrical9195 3 ай бұрын

can u pls tell me, what is the morphology and size of the produced fine copper particle?

@massimilianoilardi3571 2 жыл бұрын

Ciao che metallo e prezioso

@mountiedm 11 ай бұрын

I think copper sulphate is one of the least problematic chemicals you'll run across. It's often found in child chemistry sets and cat litter. Yes, it's a chemical. There are plenty of chemicals that can harm you. It's why I don't make spaghetti with USB cables.

@muhammadkamilmuhammadkamil3617 Жыл бұрын

Please tell me use of pinch of sodium chloride.

@onklim3132 Жыл бұрын

How big size about this copper particle? looks very fine

@ChemTalk Жыл бұрын

it creates a fine powder

@dawithabteselassie7116 8 ай бұрын

can we changed into wire form and how? can we alloy it?

@shescrafty8092 9 ай бұрын

Can i use a liquid copper sulphate solution? Will it work the same?

@kangyeseo8376 2 жыл бұрын

we did this at school i had fun

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

hi JJ, that's great! did they use this video for inspiration, or was a separate idea?

@abdalrahman3347 Жыл бұрын

can i use this copper powder for making copper conductive ink, thanks alot.

@ChemTalk Жыл бұрын

It's pure copper, so you can use it anywhere you need to use pure copper

@InternetFiend68 12 күн бұрын

just add nacl to copper sulfate then add aluminum foil, the reaction would be much much faster

@d.slifestyle3737 Ай бұрын

Can you make an electrical wire from this alloy

@godfatherofdeathmetal1967 3 ай бұрын

Can these be mass produced

@diipayshbhann5102 10 ай бұрын

Is this copper nitric acid pass ??

@somi6235 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, is it possible to torch it to see the metal?... Thnxs

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

Hello So Mi! Can you explain the question?

@BeastM140i 3 жыл бұрын

Yes. When you torch the copper metal you’ll see a lovely green and blue colour in the flame due to electron excitation :)

@somi6235 3 жыл бұрын

Does the heat in the powder makes apear the metal?

@donaldspeck9212 Жыл бұрын

Can you use that copper to electroplating

@ChemTalk Жыл бұрын

Sure!

@tlhologeloselapa3043 2 жыл бұрын

Hi. I hope you're well. We did this experiment at my school. We added CuSO4.5H2O to H2O and we also added HCl instead of NaCl. Can you please help me with the balanced chemical equation...Do we also include the water and HCl used and the H2O released?

@tomfrederick6083 Жыл бұрын

Does the amount of copper metal realized exceed the value of the constituent components used in the experiment?

@tomfrederick6083 Жыл бұрын

Actually I think I answered my own question. Bags of copper sulfate on Amazon ar right at the same price per ounce on the market; $0.23 per ounce. There is one bag that is selling for just over $0.20 per ounce. It would take a lot of material to make it worthwhile. If it could be obtained at wholesale prices then I should think that would be quite worthwhile.

@colettewiseman85 3 жыл бұрын

Is Ryan going to be in any of your videos?

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

Ryan will be in one soon. Thanks for watching and for the comment! Are you going to try the copper / aluminum experiment?

@thiagarajanshanmugam7353 2 жыл бұрын

Sir have one doubt. (What about that stick bar) i can't understand kindly reply me That name

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

can you explain?

@farukhagwan8577 3 жыл бұрын

Sir ,how to make copper sulphide ?

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

Burn copper powder and sulfur, or react copper sulfate with sodium sulfide

@wisewise7396 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, what do you mean by an old salt? ..do you mean a sea salt ?

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

You can use table salt or sea salt.

@alpakrii 9 ай бұрын

اش ذا راسب ذهب

@katiehong8260 3 жыл бұрын

If I’m doing this at home, can I dispose of the waste in my kitchen trash bag?

@ChemTalk 3 жыл бұрын

hi Katie, good question. Yes any waste from this experiment can be disposed down the drain with plenty of water, or in the trash. We do suggest the people keep the copper powder in a vial or small jar/bottle for future experiments.

@kamilshaikh8127 7 ай бұрын

This copper rect to nitric acid

@p1ai162 10 ай бұрын

..Not fully understood, but by you)

@Zane.Wellnitz 9 ай бұрын

Is there a monetary gain?

@WariceHimSelf 5 ай бұрын

No, the cost of this is roughly the same as powdered copper off amazon

@lauraramage261 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't it be great if copper doubled weight when turned back to metel

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

We wish it would!

@anthonys7311 Жыл бұрын

do I need a heat plate for this?

@scottgreg2967 Жыл бұрын

no, you do not

@massimilianoilardi3571 2 жыл бұрын

Quanto vale

@massimilianoilardi3571 2 жыл бұрын

Ciao che metallo e

@coffeecuppepsi 2 жыл бұрын

I'm in NZ we can't even get copper sulfate here. :(

@lauraramage261 2 жыл бұрын

Make some

@lauraramage261 2 жыл бұрын

Off you got car battery drain the fluid then you got watered down sulphuric acid, just need some copper and battery and wire then your on your way to make some.

@coffeecuppepsi 2 жыл бұрын

@@lauraramage261 thanks. I'm looking for this sort of home chemistry, the Makers home chemistry book I bought is absolute garbage.

@garethsmith7628 9 ай бұрын

why?

@Jkauppa 2 жыл бұрын

you enjoy thermites

@Jkauppa 2 жыл бұрын

its not the copper penetrating, its the removal of the oxidation layer, you could try baking soda instead of salt, you made an electrolyte from the aluminium and copper sulphate

@Jkauppa 2 жыл бұрын

the reactive part is the aluminium, it takes the initiative, if its exposed to the sulphate, this can be used as a battery chemistry

@ChemTalk 2 жыл бұрын

@@Jkauppa thanks for the great idea