Science folio: rate of reactions
Results:
Temperature (°C) Trial 1 - Time (s) Trial 2 - Time (s) Trial 3 - Time (s) Average Time (s)
6 1.34 1.51 1.56 1.47
15 0.51 0.58 0.54 0.543
80 0.42 0.41 0.52 0.45
Analysis of Results:
By analysing the data provided from this practical,
it is evident that reaction time is heavily dependent
on the temperature. This relationship is shown as
the higher temperature significantly speeds up
reaction time. This trend supports the hypothesis
that “as the temperature increases the time it
takes for the magnesium to react will decrease”.
The data does not show a clear outlier which
indicates that there are likely no errors in the
recording of the results. The various trend lines
shown in this graph further prove that the reaction
rate is dependent on the temperature. The graph shows that temperature plays a
significant role in the time it takes for reactions to occur.
Evaluation of Method:
Through out the practical tasks there were a few issues that could have been avoided
such as running out of magnesium and using inefficient devices to record time. These
issues could have been avoided if students were supplied with more magnesium and
given better equipment such as a slow-motion camera to record the time more
accurately and a thermostat to keep the liquid the same temperature the whole time.
With these pieces of equipment, the number of errors would reduce significantly, and the
results would most likely be far more accurate.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the data provided from the practical experiment heavily supports the
hypothesis that “as the temperature increases the rate of reaction will decrease”. Whilst
there are issues in the methods of collecting the data it is still evident that the
hypothesis is correct as the 6-degree average is much higher than the 80-degree
average. This means that the data provided gives a rough idea of how heat effects the
rate of reaction and supports the hypothesis.
Part B: Designing an Investigation
Title of Practical: the relationship between concentration and rate of reaction.
Deconstruction:
According to collision theory, chemical reactions occur when particles collide with
sufficient energy and proper orientation. As seen in the previous investigation increasing
temperature boosts particle speed leading to more frequent and energetic collisions
which raises the reaction rate. Other factors like surface area, pressure, and catalysts
also influence rate of reaction. Out of all of these options concentration is ideal to
investigate because it’s easy to control, safe to change, and directly affects collision
frequency. More particles leads to more chances for successful reactions.
Aim:
This investigation aims to discover the relationship between rate of reaction and
concentration.
Hypothesis:
If the concentration increases, then the rate of reaction will increase.
Independent Variable:
The independent variable of this investigation is the concentration of hydrochloric acid. It
will be increased and decreased to test how it affects the rate of reaction.
Dependent Variable:
The dependent variable of this investigation is the time it takes for the magnesium to
melt. It will be measured using hand held stopwatches.
Controlled Variables:
The amount of pure hydrochloric acid will be kept the same (5ml)
The amount of magnesium will be kept the same (2cm strips)
These 2 things will be kept the same to ensure the results are completely accurate and
don’t contain any errors.
Uncontrolled Variables:
Factors such as water temperature and the starting temperature of the test tube will be
uncontrollable in this experiment.
Materials:
Magnesium 9x 2cm strips
Hydrochloric acid 9x 5ml
Glass test tube x3
Beaker/jug x1
Water (roughly 20 ml)
Hand held stopwatch x1
Sandpaper
Scissors
ruler
Method:
1. Gather the materials.
2. Sand down the magnesium so that it shines and Cut the magnesium into small
strips (2cm long).
3. Add 5ml of hydrochloric acid to each of the 3 test tubes along with 5mls of water
4. One by one add a magnesium strip to each of the diluted vials of acid and start
the stopwatch.
5. Stop the stopwatch once the acid has fully dissolved the magnesium.
6. Record the time and repeat steps 4-6 three times.
7. Empty out the tubes and fill them back up this time with only 2.5 ml of water and
5ml of hydrochloric acid.
8. Repeat steps 4-6 three times and empty out the tubes again.
9. Fill the tubes up with 1ml of water and 5ml of hydrochloric acid and repeat steps
4-6.
10. Empty out the tubes and clean up the equipment.
Risk Assessment:
Equipment/Process Hazard Controls
What is the object or action What is the injury/damage What will be done to
that could cause that could be caused? minimise the chance of
injury/damage? injury/damage?
Scissors Cutting yourself Be extra careful and
have no distractions.
Hydrochloric acid Spilling and Burning Try to avoid spilling
yourself and if you do clean
immediately.
water Slipping over Avoid spilling at all
costs and if you do,
don’t walt through the
water.
Results:
Concentration Time (trial 1) Time (trial 2) Time (trial 3) Average time
(amount of
water)
