The remediation of acid rain by SO[subscript 2] scrubbing is integrated into a laboratory project appropriate for first-year chemistry students. By burning a small amount of sulfur and bubbling the gas produced through distilled water, the student first observes one of the reactions that produces acid rain. The student then tests four different…

The preparation of libethenite, a double salt of copper(II) phosphate and copper(II) hydroxide presents the opportunity to discuss the prevalence of double salts in the environment, the relationship between solubility and stability in aqueous solution, the origin of the color of transition metal compounds and gravimetric analyses. Typical results…

A project involving the synthesis of several naturally occurring copper double salts using simple aqueous conditions is reported. The ions present in the compound are analyzed using colorimetric, gravimetric, and gas-analysis techniques appropriate for the first-year laboratory and from the percent composition, the empirical formula of each…