Question

If your solution was still blue (indicating Cu2+ ions in solution) when you filtered at step 6, will your experimental mass percent (results #1) be too high or too low relative to the true (theoretical) mass percent?

a) Too high
b) Too low
c) Accurate
d) Not affected

Answer 1

The experimental mass percent would be too low if the solution remains blue, as this indicates unaccounted Cu2+ ions still in solution, and thus not included in the mass of the solid product.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the solution remains blue, indicating the presence of Cu2+ ions after filtering at step 6 of an experiment, the experimental mass percent of the copper-containing compound would be too low. This is because the blue color signifies that not all copper ions have been precipitated or reacted, hence they remain in the solution and are not accounted for in the mass of the solid product collected.

The true mass percent would include the mass of these unaccounted copper ions, implying that the experimental result would underestimate the actual content of copper in the compound.