J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.

1 (2018) P a g e |1

Iodine Clock Reaction

J.A. Ines1
1National Institute of Geological Sciences, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101

Performed: February 07, 2018 Submitted: February 14, 2018

ABSTRACT

This experiment aims to describe chemical kinetics and to present the effects of concentration,
temperature and addition of catalyst in the rate of reactions. The effect of concentration was determined
by varying the concentration of I- and S2O82- for different trials and keeping the concentration of S2O32-
constant. It was found out that concentration has a directly proportional relationship to the rate of
reaction. Using the method of initial rates, it was determined that the overall reaction is at second order.
The effect of temperature was observed by exposing set of solutions with similar concentration to
different temperature conditions and it was concluded that the rate of reaction increases as temperature
increases. The effect of catalyst was also investigated by adding a catalyst Cu(II) from CuSO4 in a solution
and it was found out that it speeds up the rate of reaction.

Introduction The Collision Theory of Chemical Reaction states

Chemical Kinetics is the branch of chemistry
that is concerned with the rate of chemical
reactions, the factors that affect reaction rates,
and the mechanism at which the reactions
occur. Reaction rates describe how fast a
reactant is used up and how fast a product is
formed during a chemical reaction [1]. It is
expressed as the change in concentration per
unit of time. Reaction mechanism is the series of
steps by which a reaction takes place [2]. This
experiment will examine the kinetics of Iodide
ions, I- and persulfate, S2O82-.
S2O82-(aq) + 2I-(aq)  2SO42-(aq) + I2(aq)
As the chemical reaction proceeds, the reactants
are being used up therefore, their concentration
decreases while on the other hand, products are
being produced hence, its concentration
increases over time. For this experiment, S2O82-
and I- are the reactants while SO42- and I2 are the
products. Applying the relationship of their
rates and stoichiometry, the rate law for
Equation 1 is as follows
[ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ]
The values are determined experimentally using
the method of initial rates.
that in order for a reaction to occur, molecules,
atoms or ions must first collide [1]. High
concentration of reacting species increases the
number of collisions per unit of time or the
collision frequency. High number of collision
frequency results to a faster reaction hence,
concentration is directly proportional to rate of
reaction.
It is important to note that not all collisions lead
into a reaction. There are two factors that must
be considered in order for a reaction to occur.
First, the molecules of reacting species must
possess energy enough to break bonds and to
(1) form new bonds. This energy is known as the
Activation Energy. Second, the molecules should
be in proper orientation when they are colliding
in order to react.
The Arrhenius Equation developed by Svante
Arrhenius relates rate constant with
temperature and activation energy.
(3)
where k is the rate constant, Ea is the activation
(2) energy, T is the absolute temperature, A is the
Arrhenius constant and R is the universal gas
constant (8.314 J/mol·K). The Arrhenius
Equation states that given the same activation
energy for a reaction, increasing the
temperature will increase the rate constant k.
Since rate of reaction is dependent on k, the rate
of reaction will be faster.
 J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.1 (2018) P a g e |2

A catalyst provides an alternative reaction
pathway of lower activation energy [3]. Looking
at the Arrhenius Equation (Equation 3),
lowering the activation energy will increase the
value of k. High value of k results into a faster
reaction hence, a catalyst speeds up a reaction.
Catalyst are consumed in the first part of the
reaction steps but is produced in an equal
amount in the latter part therefore, its chemical
formula does not appear in the overall reaction.
The Iodine Clock Reaction Experiment aims to
observe and determine the effects of
concentration, particularly of iodide (I-) and
persulfate (S2O82-), temperature, and presence of
catalyst like Cu(II) in the rate of a reaction. The
rate of I2 formation will be measured in order to
calculate for the reaction rates.
timer was started once the contents of beaker
“A” mixed with contents of beaker “B” and was
stopped once the solution turned blue. The runs
were conducted one or two at time due to
limited number of beakers. A video recorder
was used instead of a stopwatch so the solution
can be timed and observed at the same time
hence, reducing the manpower needed.
Two more sets of Run 2 were prepared for the
second part of the experiment. Those sets are
referred as Set 2 and Set 3 respectively. Beakers
“A” and “B” of Set 2 was heated on hot bath and
when the temperature of the solutions reaches
around 50oC (323.15 K), contents of beaker A
was poured to beaker B. The recorder was
started immediately and was paused when the
solution turned blue.

Methodology For Set 3, the two beakers were put in an ice

bath and when the temperature reaches 10oC
Before the experiment proper, the class was (283.15 K), the contents of beaker A were
divided into three groups and was assigned to poured to beaker B and the recorder was
prepare solutions for the whole class namely; started. The recorder was stopped once the
250.0 mL 0.2 M KI, 250.0 mL 0.2 M KCl, 250.0 ml solution changes color.
0.1 M K2S2O8, 250.0 mL K2SO4, 250.0 mL 4.0
mM Na2S2O3, 20.0 mL of 1% (w/v) fresh starch For the third part of the experiment, a fourth set
solution, and 25.0 mL 0.01 M CuSO4. The starch of Run 2 from part 1 was prepared. The contents
solution was maintained at a temperature near of beaker A was poured simultaneously with 4
the boiling point to avoid the solution from drops of 0.01 M CuSO4 into beaker B. Similar to
drying up. previous parts, the timer was started and was
paused once the solution turned blue.
The experiment was then divided into three
parts namely; effect of persulfate and iodide Result and Discussion
concentration on reaction rates, effect of
temperature on reaction rates, and the effect of For this experiment, the reaction time was
catalyst on reaction rates. monitored in order to determine the effects of
concentration, temperature, and presence of
For the first part of the experiment, two 50.0 mL catalyst on the reaction rate. Each run is variable
beakers were prepared and labeled as beaker from one to another depending on the factor
“A” and “B” respectively. Each beaker contains being observed. Time was recorded for each run
specific volume of solutions per run as shown in starting when the contents of beaker “A” were
Table 1. mixed with beaker “B” until the solution turned
blue.
Table 1. The different runs for the effect of
persulfate and iodide concentrations on reaction The change in color of the solution from
rate colorless to blue can be explained by Equation 1.
Beaker B (+3 drops of Persulfate ions (S2O82-) reacts with iodide (I-)
Beaker A
fresh starch) forming I2 molecules. Thiosulfate ion (S2O32-)
Runs 0.2 M 0.2 M 0.1 M 0.1 M 4 mM was added into the solution so that it will react
KI KCl K2S2O8 K2SO4 Na2S2O3 with the I2 molecules formed from Equation 1
(mL) (mL) (mL) (mL) (mL) hence, reducing it back to iodide (I-) ions.This is
1 10.0 0.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 shown in Equation 4.
2 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
3 2.5 7.5 5.0 5.0 5.0 2S2O32-(aq) + I2(aq)  S4O62-(aq) + 2I-(aq) (4)
4 5.0 5.0 7.5 2.5 5.0
5 5.0 5.0 10.0 0.0 5.0 These iodide ions will now react with the
remaining persulfate in Equation 1 which in
The runs were conducted by pouring the turn will form another batch of I2 molecules that
contents of beaker “A” into beaker “B”. The will react with the remaining thiosulfate in
 J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.1 (2018) P a g e |3

Equation 4. This reaction mechanism will only It can be also observed that the rate heavily
come to a halt once the thiosulfate ions, which relies on the reaction order with respect to [A]
are the limiting reactant, are all used up. Free I2 and [B]. The reaction order can be obtained by
molecules that didn’t react with thiosulfate will getting the slope of the ln(concentration) versus
now react with the starch hence, forming the ln(rate) graph. For this experiment, we will
deep blue complex. From this indicator, we can generate the ln[S2O82-] versus ln(rate) and the
calculate the rate of I2 formation. ln[I-] versus ln(rate) graph. The ln[S2O32-] vs.
ln(rate) graph will not be generated since the
Table 2. The Effect of Reactant Concentration concentration of thiosulfate throughout the runs
on Reaction Rate is constant.
[S2O82-] [I-] [S2O32-] Time Rate
Run
(M) (M) (M) (s) (M/s)
1 0.02 0.08 8x10-4 92 4.35x10-6
2 0.02 0.04 8x10-4 181 2.21x10-6
3 0.02 0.02 8x10-4 340 1.18x10-6
4 0.03 0.04 8x10-4 132 3.03x10-6
5 0.04 0.04 8x10-4 81 4.94x10-6

The temperature for each run is 24oC (297.15 K)

and the volume of each run is 25 mL. Initial
concentrations of the persulfate, thiosulfate, and
iodide were calculated using the dilution
formula. (Calculations are provided in the
Appendix)

M1V1 = M2V2 (5) Figure 1. ln (S2O82-) versus ln(rate)

where M is the molarity and V is the volume of The graph above has a slope equal to 1.135
the solution. Rate of reaction was calculated which is approximately equal to one therefore;
using the following relationship. (Calculations the reaction order with respect to S2O32- is 1.
are provided in the Appendix)

[ ] [ ]
(6)

Table 2 shows the different concentration of

persulfate ions (S2O82-) and iodide (I-), reaction
time and rate of reaction per run. From the data
given, it can be observed that increasing the
concentration of persulfate (S2O82-) [see runs
2,4, and 5] and keeping the concentration of
iodide (I-) and thiosulfate (S2O32-) will result to a
less reaction time and a faster reaction rate. This
is also true when you increase the concentration
of iodide [see runs 1,2, and 3] and kept the Figure 2. ln (I-) versus ln(rate)
concentration of persulfate and thiosulfate
constant. This relationship between rate of The slope of the graph above is 0.9429 or
reaction and concentration can be derived from approximately equal to one. Hence, the reaction
the general equation of the rate law. order with respect to I- is equal to one..

Rate = k[A]m[B]n
where k is the rate constant, [A] and [B] is the
concentration of reacting species, and m and n
is the order of the reaction with respect to A and
B respectively. From the equation, it can be
concluded that the rate of reaction is directly
proportional to the concentration of the
solutions.
(7) From the two figures above, we can conclude
that the overall reaction order of Equation 1 is
at second order. This implies that when you
doubled the concentration of either persulfate
or iodide, the reaction rate will be also doubled.
The rate constant for each run can be computed
using Equation 7. (See Appendix for
computations) The rate constant for each run is
slightly different from each other. Their average
 J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.1 (2018)
will give the most probable value of the rate
constant. The rate constant for Equation 1 is
2.81x10-3 M-1s-1.
Table 2. The Effect of Temperature and Catalyst
on Reaction Rate
Set Temp Time Rate Rate
Constant
K S M/s M-1s-1
1 297.15 181 2.21x10 -6 2.76x10-3
2 323.15 11 3.64x10 -5 4.55x10-2
3 283.15 578 6.92x10 -7 8.65x10-4
4 297.15 40 1.00x10 -5 1.25x10-2
Table 3 shows the effects of different
temperature conditions and addition of a
catalyst in the reaction rate. It can be observed
from Set 1,2, and 3 that increasing the
temperature will also result to an increase in the
rate constant and the rate of reaction. This is
also implied by the Arrhenius Equation
(Equation 3). As the temperature goes higher,
while keeping the activation energy the same,
the rate constant will increase. Since the
reaction rate is dependent on the rate constant,
the reaction rate also increases as the
temperature increases.
It can be also inferred from Arrhenius Equation
that lowering the activation energy results in a
larger rate constant and a faster rate of reaction.
Catalyst, a substance that lowers the activation
energy of a reaction, speeds up the rate of a
reaction. It can be observed by comparing Set 4
from Set 1. Both of them are held in the same
temperature of 297.15 K but a catalyst Cu(II)
from CuSO4 was added in Set 4. Set 4 has a
larger rate constant reaction rate compared to
Set 1. Therefore, it can be concluded that the
catalyst Cu(II) speeds up the rate of reaction.
Figure 3. ln k versus 1/T
Figure 3 gives us a slope of -9186.3. Multiplying
this slope with the universal gas constant R
(8.314 J/mol·K), we will obtain the activation
energy. For this experiment, the calculated
Activation Energy, Ea is 76374.9 J while the
P a g e |4
Arrhenius constant is 2.76X106. This was
obtained from the linearized Arrhenius
Equation
y= -9186.3x +25.943 (8)
The Activation energy gives us the idea on how
much energy the molecules must possess in
order the reaction to proceed. The Arrhenius
constant on the other hand gives us the
frequency of effective collisions.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Reactant concentrations, temperature, and
presence of catalyst are the factors that were
studied regarding its effect on the reaction rate.
It was proven that the reaction rate is highly
dependent on these factors.
The rate law obtained from this iodine clock
reaction experiment is R = 2.81x10-3 M-1s-1
[S2O82-][I-] and the overall reaction order is at
second order.
This study recommends proper and consistent
way of preparing and transferring solutions to
avoid discrepancies in the results. This study
also recommends having just one observer who
is going to determine the reaction time to
minimize errors. This study recommends that a
video recorder should be used instead of a
stopwatch so that the observers have a
reference to check the accuracy and preciseness
of their data.
References
[1] Whitten, K., Davis, R., Peck, M., Stanley, G.
(2010). Chemistry, Ninth Edition. Belmont,
California: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
[2] Zumdahl, S., Zumdahl, S. (2014). Chemistry,
Ninth Edition. Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole,
Cengage Learning.
[3] Petrucci, R., Harwood, W., Herring, F.,
General Chemistry, Eight Edition. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
[4] Harris, D. Quantitative Chemical Analysis 8th
ed. 2010. Madison Avenue, NY: W.H. Freeman
and Company. 134.
[5] Silberberg, M. (2013). Principles of General
Chemistry, Third Edition. New York: McGraw Hill
Education.
 J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.1 (2018) P a g e |5

Appendix

A. Reactant Concentrations

Working Equation: M1V1 = M2V2

Run 1
[S2O82-] : (0.1 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.02 M
[I-] : (0.2 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.08 M
[S2O32-] : (0.004 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.0008 M

Run 2
[S2O82-] : (0.1 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.02 M
[I-] : (0.2 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.04 M
[S2O32-] : (0.004 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.0008 M

Run 3
[S2O82-] : (0.1 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.02 M
[I-] : (0.2 M)(2.5 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.02 M
[S2O32-] : (0.004 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.0008 M

Run 4
[S2O82-] : (0.1 M)(7.5 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.03 M
[I-] : (0.2 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.04 M
[S2O32-] : (0.004 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.0008 M

Run 5
[S2O82-] : (0.1 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.04 M
[I-] : (0.2 M)(5.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.04 M
[S2O32-] : (0.004 M)(10.0 mL) = (X)(25.0 mL) X= 0.0008 M

B. Sample Calculations: Reaction Rate

Chemical Equation: S2O82-(aq) + 2I-(aq)  2SO42-(aq) + I2(aq)

2S2O32-(aq) + I2(aq) S4O62-(aq) + 2I-(aq)

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Rate Law: 

[ ] [ ]
Run 1: Run 2 Set 1:
[ ]
Run 2 Set 2:

C. Sample Calculations: Rate Constant

[ ][ ]

Run 1:
 J. A. Ines/Chemistry 26.1 (2018) P a g e |6

Run 2: Set 1

D. Activation energy and Arrhenius constant for the reaction

1. Linearized Arrhenius equation:

y = b + mx

2. Equation of the line of the plot ln k vs 1/T (sets 1-3 only):

y = -9186.3x + 25.943

a. Activation energy:

Slope = -9186.3 =-

b. Arrhenius constant: