At one stage you add phosphate ion to the ractions sequence. where exactly does this phosphate end up? It is not weighed in with the copper at the end. Reaction sequence: Cu(NO3)2 = Cu(OH)2 =CuSO4 = Cu3(PO4)2= CuCl2=Cu
In the given reaction sequence, the phosphate ion (PO4^3-) is added during the reaction between copper sulfate (CuSO4) and sodium phosphate (Na3PO4) to form copper phosphate (Cu3(PO4)2) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). However, you mentioned that the phosphate is not weighed in with the copper at the end.
The reason for this discrepancy could be that copper phosphate (Cu3(PO4)2) is not a solid precipitate in this reaction, unlike copper hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) or copper sulfate (CuSO4). Instead, copper phosphate remains in solution as ions. Therefore, when you separate and collect the solid copper at the end, the copper phosphate will remain in the solution rather than being weighed with the copper.
To clarify, the reaction sequence you provided is as follows:
1. Cu(NO3)2 (Copper Nitrate) reacts with NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) to form Cu(OH)2 (Copper Hydroxide) and NaNO3 (Sodium Nitrate).
2. Cu(OH)2 reacts with H2SO4 (Sulfuric Acid) to form CuSO4 (Copper Sulfate) and H2O (Water).
3. CuSO4 reacts with Na3PO4 (Sodium Phosphate) to form Cu3(PO4)2 (Copper Phosphate) and Na2SO4 (Sodium Sulfate).
4. Cu3(PO4)2 reacts with HCl (Hydrochloric Acid) to form CuCl2 (Copper Chloride) and H3PO4 (Phosphoric Acid).
5. Finally, CuCl2 reacts with Zn (Zinc) to reform Cu (Copper) and ZnCl2 (Zinc Chloride).
Please note that in this sequence, the copper phosphate (Cu3(PO4)2) remains in solution and is not weighed with the solid copper at the end.