19 September 2007

The chemistry students cycled through some copper reactions this week. Here's the first step, where they dissolve the copper in concentrated nitric acid. Later, they'll take their sample through copper hydroxide, copper oxide, copper sulfate, then back to regular old metallic copper again. Most students enjoyed it, especially the pretty colors that copper produces. Some students learned the hard way how nasty a drop of nitric acid can feel on one's skin.

DWL