I'm doing a lab where I have to identify the oxidization state of Iron. Here's the procedure I had to go through:
Use 0.5 molar concentration of CuSO4, get another beaker and add 0.1 grams of Iron to it. Add the CuSO4 to the beaker with the Iron fillings. Wait for the reaction to occur. Take out the excess water. Use boiling water to remove the unreacted ions. Let the Copper try.
Note that this has all been very generalized but you should get the point.
So the 2 equations I have now are:
Fe + CuSO4 -> FeSO4 + Fe; and
2 Fe + 3 CuSO4 -> Fe2(SO4)3 + 3 Cu
Now I calculate the number of moles of Iron at the beginning of the experiment, let's call it n1.
Now I calculate the mass of the Copper and convert this to moles.
Now I take the moles of Iron and make a ratio with the moles of Copper and divide by lowest value. Here is my confusion, what exactly is the point of doing this?
How would I go about checking whether I have Fe2+ or Fe3+ using everything I have so far?
Looking at the reaction physically, how would I know that CuSO4 is in excess?
I think that the answer to this is that since we can still see the CuSO4 in the beaker, it must be in excess.
Please help me with this assignment, I've struggled for ages in vain. The main part is that I don't get how to check which oxidization state the Iron, or Fe, is in.
:)
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