1.

Introduction
1.1 Background Of The Experiment
In an industrial chemical plant, chemical reactions in reactor units need to be ensured to
occur at a degree to optimize plant product and plant efficiency. Among the factors
considered to maximize the quantity and quality of reaction product include the reactor
design and chemical properties of the raw material. Substances react with reagents at
different rates under various circumstances. Chemical reactions can be classified into
three categories, namely elementary and non-elementary, reversible and irreversible, and
homogeneous and heterogeneous. The rate of a chemical reaction, rA, is defined as the
number of moles of reactant A generated or consumed per unit time per unit volume. It
thus can be written as a function of system variables, such as reactant concentration and
temperature. In the rate law of a chemical reaction, the specific rate of reaction (or rate
constant), k, displays the change of species concentration with respect to time based on
the order of reaction (n). The dimension of the rate constant is identified as [time]
1

[concentration]1n. A minimum amount of energy is required to be achieved in order for

the reaction to take place, namely the activation energy, E.

1.2

Objective

The objective of this experiment is to study the reaction kinetics and rate laws of iodine
clock reaction. It is a reaction that proceeds at an easily measured rate at room
temperature.

1.3 Scope Of The Experiment

1. To investigate the effects of reactant concentration and reaction temperature on the
rate of reaction.
2. To determine the reaction order and rate constant of iodine reaction.
3. To determine the activation energy and Arrhenius constant of iodine reaction.

2.0

Methodology
a.

Chemicals
Sodium thiosulfate solution,NA2S2O3 (1M), Potassium persulfate solution, K2S2O8
(2.5%), Potassium iodide, KI solution (5%), Starch solution (1%), Distilled water

b.

Apparatus
Beakers, Flasks, Pipette, Water bath, Thermometer, Stopwatch

c.

Experimental Procedure
First experiment: Dependence of reaction rate on the concentration of
reactants
Part 1: Determination of reaction order with respect to persulfate ion (m)
1. All beakers and flasks are cleaned up with distilled water.
2. For data set in table 1, a conical flask that contains K 2S2O8 solution is placed
in a water bath at a temperature around 35C-45C. K 2S2O8 solution is left in
the water bath until the temperature has a similar as the water bath.
3. 30 ml of KI solution is filled into another conical flask. Certain amount (refer
table 1) of NA2S2O3 solution, starch solution and distilled water is added into
the conical flask. This particular mixture denotes the reaction medium.
4. The reaction medium is then placed in the same water bath as the one of
K2S2O8 solution. The reaction medium is stirred with a magnetic stirrer until it
reaches the water bath temperature.
5. The K2S2O8 solution is pipetted into the reaction medium once the temperature
of the solutions are same. The stopwatch is started as the first drop of K 2S2O8
solution into the reaction medium solution.
6. Timing is stopped when the reaction medium turns into a deep blue complex
colour.

Part (2) : Determination of reaction order with respect to iodide ion (n)

The experiment is repeated for the set of data in table 2 for different amount of KI
solution and distilled water, where as the amount of K2S2O8 solution is kept
constant.

Second experiment : Dependence of reaction rate on the reaction

temperature
The experiment of the set data in table 3 at different reaction temperature is
repeated.

2.1

Description of Experiment
Reaction mechanisms
The kinetics of the ionic reaction in this experiment is identified as below:
S2O82 + 2I 2SO42 + I2
(1)
Rate of reaction is measured by either following the appearance of a product or
the disappearance of a reactant. In this experiment, the rate of consumption of
persulfate and iodide ions will be measured indirectly to determine the rate of
reaction. As reaction (1) runs, which is a slow reaction, the amount of iodine (I 2)
produced from it will be used instantaneously in reaction (2):
2S2O32- + I2
S4O62- + 2I(2)
The iodine produced from the persulfate-iodide reaction (1) is immediately
reduced back to iodide by thiosulfate ions (2). A known amount of thiosulfate ions
will be added to the reaction vessel which will in turn consume iodine as it is
produced. This continues until all the thiosulfate is converted to tetrathionate,
whereupon accumulation/excess of iodine will start to form in the solution via
reaction (1). Since the amount of thiosulfate added is known, the amount of iodine
produced from reaction (1) can be determined stoichiometrically. When all the
thiosulfate is consumed, accumulated iodine starts to form in solution. By
measuring the time taken for the known amount of thiosulfate to be consumed, the
rate of production of iodine during that time can be calculated.
The colour of accumulated iodine formed might be intense enough that it can act
as its own indicator. However, for better results, starch will be added, which
produces a deep blue starch-iodine complex:
I2 + (C6H10O5)n H2O
(C6H10O5)n H2O-I2

(3)

Although three reactions are involved, the reaction between persulfate and iodide
ions (reaction 1) is the one of interest. The second reaction (reaction 2) is used to
delay the reaction between iodine and starch (reaction 3). In other words, all of the
thiosulfate must be consumed before the colour changes. Without the thiosulfate
ions present, the iodine molecules produced from the first reaction would slowly

build up and the solution would gradually darken, making it difficult to identify a
definitive point at which the reaction is over or complete.
In summary, iodide and persulfate ions react to produce iodine and sulphate in
reaction (1). This iodine is immediately consumed by the thiosulfate ions in a
pathway described in reaction (2). As soon as all of the S2O32- ions are
consumed,the excess iodine produced in (1) is free to react with starch, turning
into blue complex solution (3). The amount of thiosulfate ions added will
determine the amount of iodine has been produced in the time taken for the
reaction to turn into blue complex.
Rate Equation
The rate of reaction at constant temperature and ionic strength can be expressed as
the change in concentration of a reagent or product over the change in time and
can be equated to the rate law expression:

d S 2 O8
r
dt

whereby r =
[ ]=
k =
n, m =

k S O I
2 n

(1)

reaction rate (mol/L.min)

species concentration (mol/L)
reaction rate constant
order of reaction

It will be necessary to know or measure [S2O82-], the initial change in

concentration of S2O82- ions, and t, the time elapsed during the change, as well as the
initial concentration of S2O82- and I- ions. A method to obtain the [S 2O82-] is by coupling
another reaction (reaction 2) to the one we are studying (reaction 1). Reaction (2) is the
reduction of I2 as fast as it is formed by S2O32- ions. Only when S2O32- ions are gone, the
reaction complete and I2 will start to accumulate.
The variation in concentration of persulfate ions and the variation in concentration of
iodine are basically given by:
[S2O82-]=[S2O82-]final - [S2O82-]initial = 0 - [S2O82-]added
[I2] = [I2]final - [I2]initial but [I2]initial =0, so: [I2] = [I2]final
Then:

(2)
(3)

rate =

[ I ]

The value of k is dependent on the reaction temperature. The relationship can be

expressed through the Arrhenius equation as follow:
E

k A exp

RT
whereby A
= preexponential factor or frequency factor
R
= gas constant = 8.314 J/mol.K
T
= absolute reaction temperature
E
= activation energy (J/mol)
In order to obtain the values of the above variables, the experiment is carried out as explained in
the Methodology secti