Reversible Reactions

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Some reactions run both ways, shown by a double arrow. Heating hydrated copper sulfate drives off water to leave the white anhydrous form; adding water reverses it and the blue returns, with heat released.

Key words

reversible reaction
A reaction that can proceed in both directions, shown by ⇌.
anhydrous
Containing no water of crystallisation.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

hydrated copper sulfate
test tube
Bunsen burner
test tube holder
dropping pipette
heatproof mat

Get ready

⚠️ Safety first

Add water only to the fully cooled solid — adding it to a hot tube can spit boiling liquid.
Copper sulfate is harmful if swallowed; wear goggles and wash hands after.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "reversible reaction" and "anhydrous" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Heat blue hydrated copper sulfate gently until it turns white, then let it cool completely and add water drop by drop. Record the colour changes and the temperature change on rehydration.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

The symbol ⇌ in an equation indicates a reaction that is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Anhydrous copper sulfate is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Dynamic Equilibrium All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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