Experiment 8: Chemical Kinetics

Cadelia, Lorenz Gabrielle & Oftana, Mayneth Vince

TCD2, Group 8, Mr. Julius Nuez

March 13, 2012

I. Abstract
Chemistry, by its very nature, is concerned with change. Much of the study of chemical reactions is
concerned with the formation of new substances from given reactants but, it is equally important to understand
how rapid these reactions occur. Chemical Kinetics is the area of chemistry concerned with the speed at which a
chemical reaction occurs. According to the collision theory of chemical kinetics, a chemical reaction is the result
of the effective collision between the molecules. A collision is effective if the molecules are suitably oriented to
form new bonds and possess the activation energy required to induce the reaction. Because reactions involve
breaking and forming of bonds, the speed of the reaction depends on the nature of the reactants themselves.
The factors which affect the rates at which particular reactions occur are the physical state of the reactants, the
concentration of the reactants, the temperature at which the reaction occurs and the presence of a catalyst. In
the experiment, the relative rates of reaction between the solutions in which one is altered under the conditions
which affect the rate is compared. From this experiment, it could be deduced that reactions proceed faster when
the surface area, the concentration and the temperature of the reactants is increased and when there is a
catalyst present. Chemical kinetics is a very broad subject encompassing everyday life routines (enzyme
catalysis, how fast would medicines take effect, etc.) and industrial challenges such as the development of
catalysts which are very useful in synthesizing new materials. These processes play a very significant role in our
lives.
II. Keywords: chemical kinetics, reaction rate, collision theory, catalyst, activation energy, factors affecting rates

Chem 14.1 Chemical Kinetics

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III. Introduction
Chemical Kinetics is concerned with the
rates or the speed of reactions. On the molecular
level, reaction rates depend on the frequency of
collisions between molecules. The greater the
frequency of collisions, the greater is the rate of
reaction.For a collision to lead to a reaction,
however, it must occur with sufficient energy to
stretch the bonds to a critical length and with
suitable orientation for new bonds to form in the
proper locations. Therefore, this experiment was
carried out to enable the students to recognize the
factors affecting the reaction rates, to determine the
effects of the nature, concentration, temperature
and surface area of the reactants and catalyst on
the rate of the reaction and to explain the effects of
these factors.
IV. Experimental
For the part involving the effect of the
nature of reactants, 20 drops of 0.1 M KMnO 4 and
12 drops of 6 M H2SO4 was mixed in a 5-ml test
tube and ten drops of the mixture was transferred to
each of the 2 test tubes. 10 drops of 0.1 M
Na2C2O4 solution was added to the first test tube
while 10 drops of H2O2 solution was added to the
second one. The rate of discoloration of KMnO 4 in
the 2 test tubes was noted and compared.
10 drops each of 6 M, 3 M and 1 M HCl
was put into 3 separate test tubes. 3 small pieces of
the Mg ribbon which were of the same size was
secured and 1 piece was added to each of the test
tubes. The time it took for the Mg ribbon to
completely dissolve in the acid was recorded. This
part is regarding the effect of concentration.
10 drops of 0.15 M Na2S2O3 was placed in a
5-ml test tube and the solution was heated in a
water bath until the temperature of the bath is
40 C. 10 drops of 3 M HCl was then added. The
time from the instant the acid was added until the
solution turned cloudy was recorded. This
procedure was repeated, this time, for another
Na2S2O3 solution heated to 60 C and the other
Na2S2O3 solution which was cooled to 20 C in ice
or cold water. The effect of temperature was tested
here.
Regarding the effect of surface area, a
small piece of chalk was placed in a test tube. A
crystal with the same size was grinded and placed
in another test tube. 20 drops of 1 M HCl was
added to each and the relative rates of reaction
were compared.
For the part involving the effect of a
catalyst, 10 drops of freshly prepared H 2O2 was
placed in a test tube and a pinch of MnO 2 was
added to it. The evolution of O2 gas was tested
through the use of a glowing splinter held near the
mouth of the test tube. The procedure was repeated
Chem 14.1 Chemical Kinetics

without adding MnO2. The relative rates of the

evolution of gas in the 2 test tubes are compared.
V. Results

REDUCING AGENT
Na2C2O4
H2O2

RELATIVE RATE OF
DISAPPEARANCE OF
PINK COLOR IN THE
SOLUTION
slower
faster

Table 1: Effect of the Nature of Reactant

CONCENTRATION
OFHCl
6M
3M
1M

TIME (seconds)
30
50
90

Table 2: Effect of the Concentration

TEMPERATURE
(C)
20
40
60

TIME (seconds)
8.10
2.30
<1

Table 3: Effect of the Temperature

STATE OF SOLID
SUBSTANCE
Powdered
Granulated

RELATIVE RATE OF
EVOLUTION OF
BUBBLES
faster
slower

Table 4: Effect of Surface Area

LIQUID SOLUTION
Without MnO2
With MnO2

RELATIVE RATE OF
EVOLUTION OF O2
GAS
slower
faster

Table 5: Effect of Catalyst

VI. Discussion
The solution containing KMnO4 and H2SO4
was originally pinkish in color. With the H 2O2 as the
reducing agent, it caused the discoloration of the
solution faster than Na2C2O4. This is due to the
unstability of H2O2 contributing to a low activation
energy. As a general rule, the lower the activation
energy, the faster will a reaction proceed. Mn +7 was
reduced to colorless Mn2+ turning the solution to
colorless.
The effect of concentration is shown in table
2. The fastest speed of reaction is observed in the
test tube containing 6 M HCl, followed by the 3 M
HCl and then the 1 M HCl. This shows that
increasing concentration speeds up the rate of the
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reaction because the frequency at which the

reactant molecules collide also increases. This is
due to the fact that with increased concentration,
there is more moles of the reactant per unit of the
volume, and the chances the molecules would
collide are more frequent favoring the collision
theory.
Temperature is also one of the factors
affecting the reaction rates. It is proportional to the
kinetic energy of the reactant molecules therefore, if
the temperature in Kelvin is doubled, the average
kinetic energy of the molecules is also doubled.
Following this relationship, the molecules would
collide more frequently with even greater intensity,
leading to increased rates of the reaction as can be
seen from the data in table 3 in which the reaction
proceeds the fastest under the temperature of 60
C in comparison to the solution heated up to 40 C
only before the 3 M HCl was added and the solution
which was cooled up to 20 C in which the reaction
rate is the slowest.
Reactants must come together in order for
them to react, and the reaction is limited to the area
of contact, thus, reactions that involve solids tend to
proceed faster if the surface area of the solid is
increased. As seen in table 4, the relative rate of the
evolution of bubbles in the solution containing the
solid which is powdered is faster in comparison to
the other solution in which a whole lump of solid is
added. Increasing the surface area also increases
the frequency of collisions which is also another
reason why this factor also increases the rate at
which the reaction proceeds.
A catalyst is an agent that increases reaction
rates through lowering the over-all activation energy
of the said reaction. This is done through the
provision of a different mechanism for the reaction.
In this experiment, adding MnO2 to H2O2 hastened
its decomposition to oxygen gas and water. MnO 2
served as a heterogeneous catalyst, a catalyst that
is in a different phase with the reactants. It was first
reduced in the reaction and then oxidized to
regenerate itself at the end of the reaction.
VII. Guide Questions & Answers
1.
Which is the stronger reducing agent,
Na2C2O4 or H2O2? Why?
The stronger reducing agent is H2O2. It
caused the disappearance of the pinkish color of
the solution faster compared to Na 2C2O4 by
reducing Mn+7 to Mn+2. The reaction also proceeded
faster due to the low activation energy of H2O2.
2. What conclusions can you make regarding the
effect of nature of reactants on the rate of reaction?
Individual properties of the reactants also
affect the reaction rates. In general, the reaction
Chem 14.1 Chemical Kinetics

rate is slower when the reactants are large and

complex molecules. With relation to the bond type,
reactions involving ionic species proceed faster
than those involving molecular bonds. Reactions
involving weak bonds proceed faster compared to
those which involve breaking of strong bonds.
3. Based on your observations, what is the
relationship between:
a. Concentration of reactant and time of
reaction?
Most chemical reactions proceed faster if
the concentration of one or more of the reactants is
increased because as the concentration increases,
the frequency with which the reactant molecules
collide increases, leading to increased rates.
Therefore, the higher the concentration of the
reactant, the shorter is the time of the reaction.
b. Time of reaction and speed of reaction?
The faster the speed of the reaction, the
shorter is the time of the reaction and vice-versa.
c. Concentration of reactant and speed of
reaction?
As the concentration of the reactant is
increased, the frequency of the collision between
the reactant molecules is also increased leading to
increased rates of the reaction. Therefore
increasing the concentration of the reactant hastens
the speed of the reaction.
4. How does change in temperature affect the rate
of a reaction?
Increasing the temperature also increases
the kinetic energy of the molecules. As the
molecules move more rapidly, they collide more
frequently and also, with higher energy leading to
increased reaction rates.
5. How does particle size or surface area affect
the rate of reaction?
Reactions proceed faster if the surface area
of the reactant is increased because there is a
greater area of contact available for the molecules
to collide.
6. What is the role of MnO2 in the experiment?
MnO2 served as a catalyst in the
experiment. It made the decomposition of H 2O2 into
water and oxygen gas speed up.
7. How does a catalyst affect the rate of a
chemical reaction?
A catalyst may affect the rate of the reaction
by altering the value of either the activation energy
(Ea) or the frequency factor (A). It usually lowers
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the overall activation energy for a chemical reaction

by providing a different mechanism for the reaction.
8. The following data were obtained from a
hypothetical reaction wherein reactants A, B, and C
form product D.
[A]
(mol/L)
0.030
0.060
0.060
0.030

[B]
(mol/L)
0.030
0.030
0.045
0.030

[C]
(mol/L)
0.010
0.020
0.020
0.040

Rate
(mol/L)/sec
0.30x10-4
1.20x10-4
1.80x10-4
0.30x10-4

a. What is the order of reaction with respect to A?

with respect to B? with respect to C?
With respect to A:
Rate2=1.2 x 10-4= 4= k(0.060)x(0.030)y= (2)x
Rate1 0.3 x 10-4 k(0.030)x(0.030)y
(2)x=4

x=2 second order

With respect to B:
Rate3=1.8 x 10-4= 3=k(0.060)x(0.045)y(0.020)z= (3)y
Rate2 1.2 x 10-4 2 k(0.060)x(0.030)y(0.020)z (2)y
(3/2)y=(3/2) y=1 first order
With respect to C:
Rate4 =0.3 x 10-4=1= k(0.030)x(0.030)y(0.040)z= (4)z
Rate1 0.3 x 10-4 k(0.030)x(0.030)y(0.010)z
(4)z=1

z=0 zero order

b. What is the rate equation? Give the over-all

order of reaction described.
Rate=k[A]2[B]1[C]0 or Rate=k[A]2[B]
The over-all order of reaction:
(2+1+0)=3 third order
c. What is the numerical value of the rate constant,
k?
k= rate_ = 0.30 x 10-4 = 10 or 1.11 M-2s-1
[A]2[B] (0.03)2(0.03) 9

VIII. Conclusions & Recommendations

It may be logical to assume that chemical
reactions occur as the result of collision between
reactant molecules in terms of the collision theory of
chemical kinetics, but collisions alone do not
guarantee that a reaction will take place. This is due
to the fact that there is a minimum collision energy
below which, no reaction occurs. In order for the
colliding molecules to react, they must possess
certain activation energy, the minimum energy
required to initiate a chemical reaction. Also, the
molecules must be oriented in some way that they
are suitably positioned to form new bonds. The
process in which a reaction occurs is called the
reaction mechanism. The rate at which this reaction
occurs is the primary concern of chemical kinetics.
The rate of reactions are affected by the nature, the
concentration and the surface area of the reactants,
the temperature at which the reaction occurs and
the presence of a catalyst. Also, kinetics in
chemistry refers to the change in concentration of
the reactant with time. It would be ideal to be able
to determine how the initial rate depends on the
starting concentrations and the rate law takes the
form of rate=k[A]x[B]y. This equation also gives us
the reaction order which enables us to gain
knowledge on the dependence of the rate on the
reactant concentrations.
IX. References
Theodore L. Brown, et. al. Chemistry: The Central
Science (11th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.
Print.
Chang, Raymond. Essential Chemistry.
McGraw-Hill Companies, 1996. Print.

The

I hereby certify that I have given substantial

contribution to this report.

Cadelia, Lorenz Gabrielle

Oftana, Mayneth Vince

Chem 14.1 Chemical Kinetics

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