Which equation is correct - Essay ExampleBecause, copper has two oxides Copper (I) oxide Cu2O and Copper (II) oxide CuO; therefore, there can be following two possible equations for thermal decomposition of Copper (II) carbonate:It is to be determined as which of the two equations is the correct equation. Looking at the right side of equation, we find the clue for designing an experiment to determine the correct equation of the thermal decomposition.There are two clues – 1. Mass of the black residue and 2. Volume of the gas liberated. If one starts the thermal decomposition experiment with two moles i.e. 247 grams (2x123.5 grams) of copper carbonate and mass of the black residue is 143 gram, then Equation 1 is correct; on the other hand the mass of black residue being 159 grams implies Equation two being correct.One can measure the volume of the gas released as well. In case of Equation 1 being correct, two moles of copper carbonate will give two and a half moles of carbon dioxide gas, which is 2.5x22.
