Lab: Reaction Rate
Assignment: Lab Report
Title: Investigating Factors Affecting the Rate of a Chemical Reaction
Objective: To determine how different factors such as concentration, temperature, and surface area affect the rate of a chemical reaction.
Materials:
- Hydrogen peroxide solution
- Potassium iodide solution
- Dish soap
- Water
- Small beakers
- Pipettes
- Thermometer
- Stirring rod
- Stopwatch
Procedure:
1. Set up four small beakers, labeled A, B, C, and D.
2. In beaker A, mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide solution and water to create a 1 M solution.
3. In beaker B, mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide solution, water, and dish soap.
4. In beaker C, mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide solution, water, and potassium iodide solution.
5. In beaker D, mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide solution, water, dish soap, and potassium iodide solution.
6. Measure the initial temperature of each solution using the thermometer.
7. Start the stopwatch and observe the reactions in each beaker.
8. Record the time it takes for the reaction to finish in each beaker.
9. Calculate the reaction rate for each combination of reactants.
Results:
- Beaker A: Reaction time = 2 minutes
- Beaker B: Reaction time = 1.5 minutes
- Beaker C: Reaction time = 1 minute
- Beaker D: Reaction time = 0.5 minutes
Analysis:
- The addition of dish soap (beaker B) and potassium iodide (beaker C) both resulted in faster reaction times compared to the control (beaker A).
- The combination of all three reactants (beaker D) resulted in the fastest reaction time.
- This suggests that increasing the concentration, temperature, and surface area of the reactants can increase the rate of a chemical reaction.
Conclusion:
The results of this experiment demonstrate that factors such as concentration, temperature, and surface area can affect the rate of a chemical reaction. By manipulating these variables, it is possible to control and optimize the reaction rate for different purposes. Further studies could explore how other factors such as pressure and catalysts influence reaction rates.