What scientific conclusion can be made about combining Copper Chloride and Aluminum Foil?

Answer 1

The two are highly reactive when mixed in water.

If you add aluminum to a water solution of copper chloride, the aluminum will be combined as aluminum chloride gas, releasing the copper into the water. The mixture will turn very hot, bubble up, and start to smoke, and the color will change from blue to dark red.

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The first sentence is correct, the two are highly reactive, but from there on, there are problems... There's no such thing as aluminum chloride gas. There is a gas given off, but it is hydrogen gas. The "smoke" is actually tiny droplets of water condensed from water vapor. It gets that hot. The red color is due to the formation of copper metal a Cu2+ ions are reduced to the metal as aluminum metal is oxidized.

Aluminum metal has a thin coating of aluminum oxide, Al2O3, covering the surface. Even freshly scraped aluminum metal will quickly reform the passivating layer of aluminum oxide. So in many solutions, the layer of Al2O3 prevents any aluminum metal from reacting. If aluminum metal is placed in a solution of copper(II) sulfate, you will not get a reaction. No copper metal will form on the aluminum.

But when placed in copper(II) chloride, aluminum will give a vigorous reaction with a lot of heat and hydrogen gas being given off. The reason is the chloride ion. In the presence of chloride ion, the Al2O3 layer dissolves forming the AlCl4^- in solution and exposing a fresh layer of aluminum metal. The aluminum metal will reduce copper(II) ions to copper metal, AND the aluminum metal will react with water very much like an alkali metal reacts with water, vigorously, with a lot of heat given off, and with the formation of hydrogen gas.

Al2O3 + 8Cl- + 3H2O --> 2AlCl4^- + 6OH-

Al(s) + OH- + 2H2O --> Al(OH)3(s) + H2(g)

2Al(s) + 3Cu2+ --> 2Al3+ + 3Cu(s)

Answer 2

When Copper Chloride is combined with Aluminum foil, a chemical reaction occurs that produces Copper metal and Aluminum Chloride. This reaction is known as a single displacement reaction. It demonstrates the reactivity of metals in different chemical environments.