An Investigation into the Rate of Reaction and the Particle Theory

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An Investigation into the Rate of Reaction and the Particle Theory

Plan

My aim is to investigate how the rate of reaction between magnesium and sulphuric acid is affected by different concentrations of acid.

I will do this by repeating the experiment and constantly changing the amounts of sulphuric acid and water in the reaction.

From this I should hope to establish how effective the concentration is as a variable in altering the rate at which this reaction takes place.

I know that the rate of reaction depends on how frequent and fast the particles of the reactants are colliding and travelling. This is known as the Collision Theory.

The Collision Theory states that for the reactants to chemically combine or react, particles of the reactants must collide violently and frequently enough so the particles can break up and form the product particles i.e. magnesium sulphate.

When altering the concentration of the sulphuric acid I predict that the more H+ ions in the solution the quicker the reaction will take place. I predict this because in a concentrated solution there are more particles of the reactants per centimetre cubed. This means collisions are more frequent because the particles are more crowded and closer together.

From researching into the Collision Theory I know there are other factors, which affect the rate of reaction these include:

Temperature- when the temperature of the reaction increases the particles are given more energy this means they travel around more quickly, this in turn leads to more frequent and violent collisions ensuring a successful reaction.

Surface Area- when the surface area is increased the reactant particles have a bigger area to collide in therefore collisions are more frequent.

Effect of a catalyst- a catalyst is a substance, which speed up a reaction without being chemically changed itself.

The factor or variable, which I am going to investigate, is the concentration of the sulphuric acid.

I will use a range of different concentrations of sulphuric acid. I will keep the volume of the solution the same for each experiment. I also know that the word equation for this reaction is sulphuric acid + magnesium→ magnesium sulphate + hydrogen therefore I will also use a gas syringe to measure the hydrogen given off with each of the different concentrations.

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I will adjust the concentration and still keep the volume the same (50ml) by adding water to the solution.

This goes as follows:

I will collect my equipment and set it up as shown in the diagram. I will then measure out the sulphuric acid and water according to the concentration I am testing, and them pour them into a beaker.

I will measure a 2cm piece of magnesium and put it into the solution. Immediately after I have put the magnesium into the solution I will place the gas syringe into the funnel of the beaker. This will show ...

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