Investigating the Rate of Reaction Between Acid and Calcium Carbonate Chips

Investigating the Rate of Reaction Between Acid and Calcium Carbonate Chips

Introduction

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The rate of reaction is a measure of a change that happens in a unit

of time.

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My aim is to measure the rate of reaction between hydrochloric acid

and calcium carbonate chips by using different concentrations of

hydrochloric acid. The equation for this experiment is

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I plan to measure the amount of carbon dioxide gas given off every

five seconds.

Theory

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According to the collision theory, for molecules to react together

they need

* To collide

* Collide with enough energy to achieve an activated complex. This

energy that they need is activation energy.

* The right orientation for the reaction to go ahead.

Anything that increases the above factors increases the rate of

reaction i.e. Temperature, surface area, concentration, pressure and

catalysts.

1. The effect of Temperature

A reaction can also be made to go faster or slower by changing the

temperature of the reactants. The higher the temperature the faster

the rate of reaction. This is because heat gives the particles more

energy so as to make more successful collisions. This is the reason

why the temperature in this experiment is kept constant.

2. The effect of concentration

A reaction can also be made to go faster or slower by changing the

concentration of the reactant. A reaction goes faster when the

concentration of a reactant is increased. It is on this theory that

the whole experiment is based on.

3. The effect of Surface area

A reaction can also be made to go faster or slower by changing the

surface area. The rate of a reaction increases when the surface area

of a solid reactant is increased. This is the reason why the surface

area of the chips is similar.

4. The effect of a catalyst

A catalyst is a substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction