When hydrogen gas is passed over heated copper(II) oxide, the black coating on the surface turns brown as the reverse reaction occurs, and copper metal is obtained.
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When hydrogen gas is passed over heated copper(II) oxide, the black coating on the surface turns brown as the reverse reaction occurs, and copper metal is obtained.
Passing hydrogen gas over heated copper(II) oxide results in a reduction reaction where hydrogen acts as a reducing agent. The reaction can be represented as:
CuO(s) + H₂(g) → Cu(s) + H₂O(g)
During this reaction, copper(II) oxide (CuO) is reduced to elemental copper (Cu), and water vapor (H₂O) is formed. The appearance of copper(II) oxide changes from its original black color to the characteristic reddish-brown color of copper metal. This alteration in color signifies the reduction of copper ions in the oxide back to their elemental form.