Carolina Chemonstrations®: Isolating the Elements

Most elements are not found in nature in their free, or elemental, forms. They usually combine with other elements to form compounds. This series of 4 demonstrations isolates 4 elements from compounds and illustrates multiple reaction types along the way. Students make predictions prior to, and construct particle-level explanations after, the isolation of copper, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. Materials are sufficient for the 4 demonstrations to be performed 5 times.