The experiment introduces students to the chemistry of metals that form compounds with more than one oxidation state. Cu(I) is an example of an intermediate oxidation state that can undergo disproportionation or reproportionation reactions depending on the solvent and background electrolyte. A simple experiment to demonstrate the reproportionation of copper(I) from the reaction between copper metal and copper(II) in acidic aqueous solution containing an excess of chlorides is presented. The reaction is fast enough to complete the entire experiment within an hour.
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