Chemistry Catalyst Investigation
Aim
To devise and carry out an investigation into how the concentration of
hydrogen peroxide in a solution with distilled water will affect the
rate of the catalysed reaction between hydrogen peroxide solution and
manganese oxide.
I will be studying the chemical catalyst manganese and its reaction
with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. The liquid
hydrogen peroxide decomposes according to the equation:
2H202 (l) 2H20 (l) + 02 (g)
So to measure the rates of reactions we will measure the amount of
oxygen given off by the reaction.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Method
======
Variables:
· Temperature
· Concentration of hydrogen peroxide
· Surface area of catalyst
· Mass of catalyst
· Type of catalyst
My chosen variable is:
· Concentration of hydrogen peroxide.
To make the test fair, I will keep the temperature the same in each
and every test. I will have the temperature at room temperature. This
will keep the test fair as reactions differ with temperature, when
there is a higher temperature the particles gain more energy and are
able to move faster, therefore creating more reactions whereas when
there is a lower temperature the particles do not have as much energy
and hence they do not create as many reactions. So, by keeping the
temperature the same throughout the investigation, the particles in
each test will have the same amount of energy making the test fair. I
will also keep the mass of catalyst the same in each test, 0.1g. With
catalyst added to a reaction the rate of reaction increases. With a
small amount of catalyst added the rate of reaction does increase but
not as greatly as when a large amount of catalyst is added. So by
keeping the mass of catalyst equal in every experiment the test will
be kept fair. In each test I will also keep the volume of solution,
the same, 40mls. This will ensure that even though the percentage of
the hydrogen peroxide and distilled water will be different in each