The aim of this investigation is to determine the rate of reaction when a set amount of magnesium is applied to a set amount of hydrochloric acid.

1 beaker

1 petrel dish (to hold magnesium)

1 glass bowl

1 stopwatch

1 measuring cylinder

1 Magnesium ribbon

1 Pair of safety goggles

The magnesium will be cut in segments of 3cm long, they will all be this size so that I can achieve a fair test. I plan to use 5 different amounts of acid, the first amount starting at 50ml and decreasing chronologically by 10ml each time. To balance and keep the same amount of volume of liquid the deducted amounts of acid will be replaced with a water supplement. For example the 3rd recording will be 30ml acid and 20ml water to keep the volume at 50ml for a fair test. After each beaker has been set up a magnesium ribbon will be added to the acid/water solution. At the point of contact between the magnesium and acid the stopwatch timer will be activated and stopped when the magnesium strip has visibly dissolved. The time the magnesium ribbon takes to dissolve will then be recorded on the results table. In total there will be 15 recordings made.

Results:

   

   

Conclusion: My investigation was a success. My prediction that Magnesium would have a fast rate of reaction to the higher amount of acid was correct, my results show that there is a slower rate of reaction the more that the acid solution is diluted with water. The line chart that I constructed gives clear precise indications that the more acid there is when magnesium is applied the faster the rate of reaction. My investigation was a fair test and nothing went wrong. I found that the more acid molecules present when the magnesium is added the faster the rate of reaction, this is because the more concentrated amount of acid brings greater collision with the magnesium particles

         =Magnesium ribbon

        =Acid molecule

        =Water molecule        

Evaluation

The method that I used was effective in investigation the rates of reaction between acid and magnesium. The method I used recording multiple results proved well because any odd results were discarded as I had the back up of other more precise results to go by. While recording my results I came across a small number of odd recordings, I think that this is down to being inaccurate while diluting the acid solution with water, to much water could result in slower reaction rates. My results were reliable because I carried out the experiments 3 times each; after I had done this I calculated the average of the results to get a fairly reliable overall recording. The results that I obtained are sufficient to support a firm conclusion because I have investigated the reaction rates under strict guidelines using safety, fair testing, accurate results and simple methodology. My investigation could have been improved to a more sufficient standard if I carried more than 3 recordings each result increasing the recordings to 6 each result giving me even more accuracy with results. While obtaining evidence I could have doubled the amount of measurements increasing the amount of data in the investigation so that I could have more results to evaluate the rates of reaction.

In this investigation I have proved with reliable results that the rate of reaction between hydrochloric acid and magnesium depends on the volume of acid in the solution that the magnesium is applied to.