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Standard Setup
Weigh a beaker. Weigh 7.5 grams of cupric chloride. Mix it in the beaker with 100 milliliters of distilled water. Weigh an iron nail and place it in the beaker with the solution. Leave it overnight. Remove the nail, wash and dry it and then weigh it. Weigh a circle of filter paper. Pour the liquid through the filter paper into a second beaker. Allow the paper to dry. Allow it to dry and weigh it again to determine the mass of solids produced by the reaction. This determines the mass of your reactants and products.
The Science
The iron is more reactive than the copper. As a result the iron in the nail reacts with the chlorine and "kicks out" the copper. The copper comes out of solution and forms as a layer around the nail. At the same time iron leaves the nail and combines with the chlorine, turning the liquid into iron chloride.
Rate of Reaction
Alter various factors, one at a time, to determine how this influences the rate of the reaction. Run the experiment for only two hours. Alter the temperature, the concentration of copper chloride and use a number of smaller nails to investigate the influence of surface area on the speed of reaction. Weigh the products just as before.
Reactivity Series
Introduce other metals at the same time as the nail to determine whether they are more or less reactive than the iron. Use aluminum foil, zinc nails and coins. Check to see if the reaction with the iron nail has still taken place. See which of these metals reacts with the copper chloride fastest or produces the highest yield in a given time.
Safety
You should wear rubber gloves and eye protection at all times when conducting these experiments. Highly dilute any solutions before disposing of them in the sink.