Jessica Hartley Centre no: 64335 Candidate no: 6107
An experiment investigating the factors which alter the rate of the catalysed decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide.
Aim
To investigate one factor that alters the rate of the catalyzed decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide.
Introduction
Particles can only react if they collide with enough energy to break existing bonds which will allow for the reaction to take place. This theory is called The Collision Theory. There are four factors affecting the rate of a chemical reaction. These are:
Temperature:- Increasing the temperature will cause the particles to move faster, with more energy. They will therefore collide more often and with greater energy. These two things mean there are more successful collisions per second and therefore a faster rate of reaction.
Concentration:- Increasing the concentration of a reactant simply means there are more particles which may collide and so react. More collisions means a faster reaction.
Surface area:- Using powdered reactants instead of a lump means the surface area is greater, which means a greater area of reactant is exposed and so available for collision. More collisions means a faster reaction.
Catalysts:- Use of catalysts means that particles having only minimal, energy may react. If s of catalysts work because one of the reactants is fixed to the surface. This makes the chance of a reaction more likely. More collisions means a faster reaction.
The rate of reaction tells us how quickly a chemical reaction takes place, the rate at which products are formed (or reactants are lost) in a chemical reaction. The reaction takes place on the surface of the catalyst, this I why it has to be finely divided so it has the biggest possible surface area for the reaction to take place. We can’t work out the rate of reaction from its chemical equation. We measure the rate of reaction by using time and how quickly it takes for a reaction to take place. I am to investigate one factor that alters the rate of the catalyzed decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide is an unstable compound made of hydrogen and oxygen. Left on its own, it will slowly break down into water and oxygen gas.
