Conclusion: Reaction Rates

Conclusion: Reaction Rates

  • Submitted By: kittywonghf
  • Date Submitted: 09/15/2013 10:58 AM
  • Category: Science
  • Words: 312
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 124

From the second graph I’ve drawn, we can clearly see that when the concentration of the Sulphuric Acid increases, the rate of reaction is also faster. This situation can be easily explained via the collision theory. Since there are more concentration in the acid, this means that there are more particles in the solution. Hence, collision will occur more frequently and therefore quickens the reaction.

Although the second graph proposes a linear trend line, though, we can clearly see that it does not pass through the origin -- this suggests that the rate of reaction and the concentration of sulphuric acid may not have a proportional relationship.

Moreover, we can also see that not every dot on the graph fits to the trend line. For example, concentration 1.5 mol and 2.0 mol differs by quite a lot (0.258 ml/s difference, whereas it was only a difference of 0.010 ml/s and 0.017 ml/s before), and strays from the line of best fit in a relatively far distance compared to the others. This situation proposes possible errors during the experiment, especially for concentration 2.0 mol as it is the same as 2.5 mol (1.5 mol can be excused as it is still an increase from 1.0 mol).

Other possible sources of errors may be because of the difference in magnesium chips (as water, acid etc. has all be measured and *should* have the same concentration in the whole bottle). A very visible error I’ve noticed was that they come in different sizes: Part of the collision theory states that a larger surface area would give a faster reaction. Another problem was that all the magnesium chips were oxidized, and we had to scrub off the rust with sand paper. Inevitably, some magnesium chips were ‘cleaner’ compared to others, therefore altering the results.

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