The Effect of Surface Area on the Rate of Reaction Between Catalase from a Potato and Hydrogen Peroxide

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The Effect of Surface Area on the Rate of Reaction Between Catalase from a Potato and Hydrogen Peroxide Aim To find out the relationship between the surface area of a potato chip and the rate of reaction when hydrogen peroxide is put in with it. Variables As I do this experiment the thing I am going to be changing is the surface area of the potato chip, first I will put it in the beaker as a whole (3cm chip) then I will start cutting it into smaller pieces and repeating the experiment. I will keep the temperature the same throughout all the experiments also I will keep the amount and concentration of hydrogen peroxide the same, the amount of potato and the same brand of potato. By doing this I will make it a fair test. Prediction I predict that the bigger the surface area the quicker the 10 cubic cm of hydrogen peroxide gas will be produced. I think this because as the surface area increases, the speed of the reaction will increase therefore the gas will be produced faster. I believe this because most chemical reactions happen faster when there is more of the reactant to react with. When there is a larger surface area, there is more of the reactant available, which makes it easier for them to react together. Usually, when the surface area is doubled it will double the rate of reaction. Chemical reactions take place by chance. Particles need to collide with enough velocity so that they react and interlock with each other, this is called the lock and key theory. As the surface area is increased the particles have a bigger surface to react with so more molecules can react at a time. This means that they are colliding more often and there is a bigger chance that the collisions have enough velocity to cause a reaction. Since there are more collisions the chemical reaction takes place faster. What am I measuring? I am measuring how long it takes to collect 10 cubic cm of gas in a

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