You can make copper from copper oxide by heating it with carbon. This process is called reduction.
Here's a breakdown of how it works:
- Materials: You will need copper oxide powder and carbon powder (e.g., charcoal).
- Mixing: Thoroughly mix the copper oxide and carbon powder.
- Heating: Place the mixture in a crucible. Cover the crucible with a lid. This is crucial to prevent the carbon from burning with oxygen in the air instead of reacting with the copper oxide.
- Reaction: Heat the crucible strongly for several minutes. The carbon will react with the copper oxide, removing the oxygen and leaving behind copper metal.
The chemical reaction is:
2CuO (Copper Oxide) + C (Carbon) → 2Cu (Copper) + CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)
In this reaction, the carbon acts as a reducing agent, meaning it removes oxygen from the copper oxide. The copper oxide is reduced to copper.
