Factors of a reaction lab

Design

Question

How will altering the concentration of HCl affect the rate of the following reaction:

Zn (s) + HCl (aq) ---> ZnCl (aq) + H2 (g)

Hypothesis

According to the collision theory, the rate of a reaction depends on the frequency of collisions between reacting particles. The more frequent the collisions, the faster the rate of the reaction. However, in order for the collisions to be effective, the particles must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy). Furthermore, the particles must collide with the proper orientation. The aim of this lab is to increase how often collisions occur. Theoretically, we should be able to achieve this by increasing the HCl concentration. However, we will instead decrease the HCl concentration just because it’s easier by diluting it with water. We thus predict that by decreasing the HCl concentration, it should take longer for the reaction to produce the predetermined amounts of hydrogen gas that we are observing.

Variables

Independent- the concentration of HCl

Dependent- the rate of the reaction

Controlled- Size of test tube

Syringe type