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 at the Cu3(PO4)2 stage. To understand where exactly the phosphate ends up, we need to analyze the reactions step by step.

1. Cu(NO3)2: This is the starting compound, copper(II) nitrate. It contains copper ions (Cu^2+) and nitrate ions (NO3^-).

2. Cu(OH)2: The addition of hydroxide ions (OH^-) to copper(II) nitrate results in the formation of copper(II) hydroxide (Cu(OH)2). The nitrate ion remains unreacted at this stage.

3. CuSO4: By reacting copper(II) hydroxide with sulfuric acid (H2SO4), copper(II) sulfate (CuSO4) is obtained. In this reaction, water (H2O) is also formed as a byproduct. The nitrate ion is no longer present in the reaction mixture.

4. Cu3(PO4)2: The phosphate ion (PO4^3-) is introduced at this step by adding a suitable phosphate-containing compound (e.g., sodium phosphate) to the copper(II) sulfate solution. Copper(II) phosphate (Cu3(PO4)2) precipitates out as a solid.

5. CuCl2: In the subsequent step, the copper(II) phosphate is reacted with hydrochloric acid (HCl) to yield copper(II) chloride (CuCl2) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The phosphate ion has now been converted into phosphoric acid.

6. Cu: Finally, the remaining solid (CuCl2) is heated strongly, resulting in the decomposition of copper(II) chloride into copper metal (Cu) and chlorine gas (Cl2). At this stage, the phosphate ion has been completely consumed and is no longer present in the reaction mixture.

Therefore, the phosphate ion introduced during the Cu3(PO4)2 stage ends up being converted into phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at the CuCl2 stage and does not weigh in with the copper metal obtained at the end.