NOR ASHIKIN BINTI ISMAIL | A2863
Title : Effect of reactant concentration on reaction rate. Aim : To investigate the effect of concentration on the rate of reaction. Apparatus : 100ml conical flasks, white paper, stop clock, 5ml & 100ml measuring cylinders, 100ml beaker. Materials : 0.25M sodium thiosulfate solution, 2M hydrochloric acid solution, distilled water. Introduction : It takes certain time for a reaction to happen. Some chemical reactions happen fast, while others happen slower under the same conditions. The rate of chemical reaction is change of concentration of reactants in unit time. Every reaction is conditioned by the collisions of particles. In order for some reaction to happen, its molecules, atoms and ions, must come closer together - collide. Only those collisions that have a certain amount of energy can cause a reaction. Energy which particles of the reactants must have so that they, during their collisions, cause a reaction is called the activation energy. Rate of reaction is influenced by many factors. One of them is concentration. According to the collision theory for a chemical reaction to occur, the reacting species must collide with the proper orientation and the collision must be energetic enough so that the electron clouds of the colliding particles interpenetrate with each other. At this moment the particles are forming an activated complex: they have reached the transition state (the most energetic possible state). After this, two species separate that can be either the original particles or two completely new particles with different properties. Chemical bonds have been re-located and a chemical change has occurred. Generally, we cannot control the orientation of the colliding particles (although in some cases we orient the particles to react as we wish) but we can promote the number of collisions per second and the energy of the colliding species. We can do so, increasing the concentration (number of particles per unit volume) of the reactants. An increase in concentration will increase the number of successful collisions. Obviously we can act in the opposite direction and force the reaction to proceed at a slower pace. In these experiments, I investigate the effect of changing the reactant concentration.
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NOR ASHIKIN BINTI ISMAIL | A2863
Procedure : 1) The results were recorded in the table below : Volume of 0.25M NaSO (mL) 45 35 25 15 5 0 10 20 30 40 50 50 50 50 50 0.225 0.175 0.125 0.075 0.025 12.69 13.90 17.63 31.25 82.80 0.0788 0.0719 0.0567 0.0320 0.0121 Volume of HO added (mL) Total volume after mixing (mL) [NaSO] on mixing (M) Time for cross to disappear (s) 1/time (s)
2) 45 mL of 0.25M NaSO was placed in a 100 mL conical flask. The flask was put over a cross marked on a piece of white paper.
3) 5 mL of 2M HCL was added and briefly agitate to ensure mixing of the reactants. The stop clock was started at the moment of addition. 4) The time taken for the cross to disappear was noted and recorded when it is viewed through the solution from directly overhead. The formation of solid sulfur causes the cross to be obscured. 5) The experiment was repeated using the various sodium thiosulfate concentrations made up as indicated in the table.
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Results : Concentration of sodium thiosulfate (M) Reaction time (s) 1/time (s) 12.69 0.0788 13.90 0.0719 17.63 0.0567 31.25 0.0320 82.80 0.0121 0.225 0.175 0.125 0.075 0.025
Calculation : (1) Example of one calculation the concentration of NaSO : V = 45 mL M = 0.25 M V = 50 mL M = ? MV = MV M = M = M = 0.225 M (2) Example of one calculation of 1/time (s) : Time for cross to disappear = 12.69 s = 1/time = = 0.0788 s
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NOR ASHIKIN BINTI ISMAIL | A2863
0.09
Graph of 1/time(rate) against sodium thiosulfate concentration
0.08
0.07
0.06
1/time (s)
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
Sodium thiosulfate concentration (M)
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Disscussion : In this experiment, sodium thiosulfate (NaSO) is the source of the thiosulfate ions, and hydrochloric acid will be used as the source of hydrogen ions. The chemical reaction between sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid results in sulphur being precipitated slowly. The equation is as below, NaSO(aq) + 2HCL(aq) 2NaCl(aq) + SO (aq) + HO(l) + S(s)
Sulfur dioxide is a gas at room temperature, but it is very soluble in water. Sulfur is a water insoluble solid. As a result, the solution first becomes cloudy and then opaque. In this reaction, sulphur was formed a very find solid particle and causes the solution to change from colourless to yellowish cloudy. The time taken for a certain quantity of sulphur to form and cause the cross mark to disappear is used to determine the rate of reaction. Rate of reaction = From the graph above we can see that as the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate solution increases the time taken for the cross to disappear will decreases and therefore the rate of reaction increases. This means that the rate of reaction is increased linearly to the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate solution. This is in accordance with the collision theory. As the concentration of a reactant increase, the number of particles per unit volume increases. Therefore, the number of collisions will also increase. This will lead to greater frequency of collisions and increase in the rate of successful collisions, hence the rate of reaction also increases. As a result, the greater the concentration, the greater its rate of reaction will be. Actually the relationship of the graph supposes to be directly proportional, but I got an increase linearly. This is due to some errors while conducting this experiment.
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NOR ASHIKIN BINTI ISMAIL | A2863
Some sources of limitations in this experiment that might occur : No 1 Limitation Parallax errors might occur when taking the reading of the solution using measuring cylinder. This cause when the observers eye is not perpendicular to the meniscus level of the solution. 2 The measuring cylinders may not have been properly cleaned between tests and may have contained traces of water or chemicals. This would have affected the precision of my results by changing the concentration of the whole solution. 3 The stop clock did not simultaneously start when hydrochloric acid is poured in sodium thiosulfate solution. Make sure that the stop clock must start simultaneously when we add the hydrochloric acid into the conical flask containing sodium thiosulfate solution to get accurate results. 4 The time taken for cross to disappear may not be accurate for every concentration because it is observed by different person on every concentration. To minimize this error, try to use the same person to observe for the disappearing of cross because different people may have different eye sight. To overcome this problem, clean the measuring cylinders properly or use another measuring cylinder to prevent cross contamination. Suggestion To reduce the error, make sure that the eye level is perpendicular to the meniscus of the solution in the measuring cylinder and place the measuring cylinder on the flat surface.
Conclusion : The concentration of the reactant does affect the rate of reaction. In other words, when the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate solution increasing, the rate of reaction will increase, and the less time taken for the cross mark to disappear.
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NOR ASHIKIN BINTI ISMAIL | A2863
Questions : 1) Calculate 1/time for each experiment and enter the results into the table. Volume of 0.25M NaSO (mL) 45 35 25 15 5 0 10 20 30 40 50 50 50 50 50 0.225 0.175 0.125 0.075 0.025 12.69 13.90 17.63 31.25 82.80 0.0788 0.0719 0.0567 0.0320 0.0128 Volume of HO added (mL) Total volume after mixing (mL) [NaSO] on mixing (M) Time for cross to disappear (s) 1/time (s)
2) Plot a graph of 1/time(rate) against sodium thiosulfate concentration.
0.09 0.08 0.07 0.06
Graph of 1/time(rate) against sodium thiosulfate solution
1/time (s)
0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.01 0 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
Sodium thiosulfate concentration (M)
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3) What effect does the concentration of sodium thiosulfate have on the reaction rate? As the quantity of particles in a given volume increase, the number of collisions between the reactant particles will increase. The ratio of successful collision to unsuccessful collision will remain the same, but as there are more collisions the amount of successful collision increase. The number of successful collisions is referring to those collisions with necessary action energy. Hence the rate of a chemical reaction increases. Based on the experiment conducted, as the concentration increase, the time taken for the cross to disappear is decreased. Thus, I can conclude that, the rate of reaction increase. 4) If the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate is doubled, what happens to the rate of the reaction? According to the collision theory, the rate of reaction is directly proportional to the concentration of the reactant. Therefore, when the concentration doubles so should the rate. This is because there is more number of particles per unit volume, then the number of collisions will also increase . Besides, increase in the frequency of collisions means an increase in the rate of successful collisions and lead to the increasing rate of reaction.
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References : 1. [Link], 2000. The Effect of Concentration on Rates of Reaction, [online] Available at : < [Link] [Accessed on 3 April 2013] 2. Geoffrey Neuss, 2007. IB Chemistry Course Companion, Oxford Press. 3. A .Caroline, M. Chris, O. Steve, 2011. Cambridge, Chemistry For The IB Diploma. Cambridge University Press, UK. 4. Jim Clark, 2002. THE EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION ON REACTION RATES, [online] Available at : <[Link] [Accessed on 3 April 2013] 5. Wikipedia, 2001. Reaction rate, [online] Available at : [Link] [Accessed on 4 April 2013]
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