In the Laboratory

The Reaction of a Food Colorant with Sodium Hypochlorite

A Student - Designed Kinetics Experiment
Josefina Arce,* Rosa Betancourt, Yamil Rivera,** and Joan Pijem**
Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Ro Piedras Campus, P.O. Box 23346, San Juan, PR 00931-3346

The general chemistry laboratory should develop basic

laboratory skills and provide inquiry-based experiences to help
students comprehend fundamental chemical concepts.
Furthermore, it should provide students with a flavor of the
thinking process involved in scientific research. Research, in
this context, should be interpreted as the application of
known concepts and skills to the process of solving a new
problem for the student. The professors role is to select problems at the appropriate level of difficulty (1).
An experiment in chemical kinetics, near the end of
the General Chemistry academic year, is a challenging
problem that requires application and integration of the
knowledge acquired during the whole course. The experiment
we describe here is the reaction between sodium hypochlorite (Clorox1) and the food colorant FD&C Blue #1 (1) followed spectrophotometrically. This experiment requires that
students master the following concepts: molarity, dilution, the
BeerLambert law, and basic principles of chemical kinetics,
including the concept of pseudo order and determination of the
order of a reaction using the graphical method. This experiment
is done after the students have performed the graphical
determination of the order of a cooling process and thus have
developed this skill both in class and in the laboratory (2).
In addition, the following practical and thinking skills have
to be applied to a new problem: use of the spectrophotometer, organization of data, table construction, preparation and
analysis of graphs, analysis of possible sources of error, and
use of pipets and other basic laboratory equipment.

to apply their knowledge to a new situation, they gain depth

of understanding of all the concepts involved.
Students will need approximately 30 minutes to design
an experimental procedure and an additional 30 minutes to
execute it. This allows ample time to interpret and analyze
the results and, if necessary, to make adjustments to their experimental procedure. There is even time for repetition within
the time constraints of a laboratory session.
In this experiment, students use spectroscopic techniques
to study the kinetics of a reaction. This is one of the most
common techniques used today in kinetic studies. Since this
reaction is very visible, students can follow the disappearance
of the colored reagent and relate it conceptually to the rate
of the reaction.
The general chemical equation of this reaction is:
FD&C Blue #1 + NaOCl products
and the general rate equation is:
Rate = k[Blue #1]a [NaOCl]b
The Problem
The goal of the experiment is to determine the values of
exponents a and b and the value of k at room temperature.
The research needed to determine these values takes several
laboratory periods. Alternatively, in one 3-hour laboratory
session, students can determine the value of a and the pseudo
order rate constant (kobs).
Organization and Guiding Questions

H H
C

SO3Na

Students work in groups of three, designing and executing

the different parts of the experiment. They are given the goal
of the experiment, a list of available equipment and materials,
and a series of guiding questions to focus them on the important aspects of the experimental design.
Typical guiding questions are:

SO3Na

To follow the rate of disappearance of the blue colorant

with time you will use a spectrophotometer. What wavelength will you choose and why? How will you determine
this wavelength?

CH2CH3
C
HH
C

SO3

CH2CH3

Rationale for the Experiment

We use this experiment to involve students in some
aspects of the design of an experimental procedure (1). Students must make decisions about the concentrations and
amounts of reagents they will use to determine the order of the
reaction between a food colorant and sodium hypochlorite.
Guiding questions are included to gear their thinking on the
right track. We have found that when students are required
*Corresponding author.
**Undergraduate students.

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The blue colorant concentration is not known; how

can you determine this concentration? What data do you
need? If you need additional data ask your instructor.
How can you determine what volumes of blue colorant
and Clorox to mix in order to get the reaction to be completed in about 15 minutes?
How can you determine the molarity of the NaOCl
solution? What assumptions do you need to make in this
calculation?
When you mix the solution of the blue colorant with
the sodium hypochlorite solution, what are the initial con-

Journal of Chemical Education Vol. 75 No. 9 September 1998 JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

In the Laboratory
centrations of the colorant and the NaOCl?

Part IV

What calculations or graphical analysis will you need

to do in order to determine the order of the reaction with
respect to the blue colorant?

Students determine the change in %T with time using

the spectrophotometer and a chronometer (they will be measuring minutes, so a wristwatch can be used). Since only a
few milliliters of the reaction mixture are needed to fill the
cell, students can place the unused portion of the original
mixture next to the spectrophotometer and visually follow
the disappearance of the blue color. This direct observation
reinforces the association of decrease in color intensity with
increase in %T.

How does the sodium hypochlorite concentration affect the determination of the order of reaction with respect
to the blue colorant? How must you adjust this concentration in order to be able to measure the value of exponent a?
Do you need to know the change in concentration with
time of the blue colorant to determine the order of the reaction or can you use another variable that is directly proportional to this concentration? If you think you need to
know the actual concentrations, how will you determine
them? What experimental data must you obtain and what
calculations are necessary?
How will you determine the value of the observed k?
After you have determined the value of exponent a,
how can you determine the value of exponent b? Do you
need to do another experiment?
How will you determine the value of k?

The following are typical parts in which the experiment

could be divided. The level of difficulty could be controlled
by omitting some parts and giving students the needed information.

Typical Parts of the Experiment

Part I
Students obtain the visible spectrum of the colorant from
400 to 800 nm with a Spectronic 20 using the available stock
solution.2 From this spectrum they identify its max and, using the molar absorptivity value of 1.38 10 5 M 1 cm1 at
630 nm (obtained from the instructor or from the literature)
they calculate the concentration of the stock solution using
the equation A = bc (3).
Part II
Students determine whether the colorant obeys the
BeerLambert law over a range of concentrations. They prepare solutions of different concentrations by dilution with
distilled water and determine the %T of each. After they perform the measurements, they calculate the absorbances and
construct the absorbance versus concentration graph. On the
basis of these data they then decide if a kinetics experiment
can be carried out in this concentration range by following
changes in absorbance (or %T ) with time.
Part III
Students determine the quantities (volumes) of Clorox
and FD&C Blue #1 stock solution they will mix. They calculate the Clorox molarity using the mass percent concentration printed on the label and assuming the density of the
solution is that of water (1.00 g/mL). Students must choose
a combination that will allow them to follow the reaction
within the time restrictions of the laboratory period. To do
so, they will mix different volumes of each reagent solution
and observe visually how fast or slow the reaction reaches
completion. They will probably choose combinations in
which one of the reagents (NaOCl) is in excess. They must
also decide what [NaOCl] to use so that the value of a can
be determined under pseudo-order conditions (4).

Part V
Students construct three graphs: [Blue #1] vs time;
ln[Blue #1] vs time; and 1/[Blue #1] vs time. Figure 1 shows
typical graphs obtained by our students to determine the
order of the reaction with respect to the blue colorant.
From this experiment they not only determine the order of the reaction with respect to the blue colorant (a), but
also the value of the pseudo-order rate constant (kobs) from
the slope of the graph of ln[Blue #1] vs time.
Part VI
To obtain the value of k they must know the values of
[NaOCl] and the exponent b, because the slope = kobs =
k[NaOCl] b. One way they can determine the value of b is
to measure the slope of the ln[Blue #1] versus time graph
obtained at a different [NaOCl]. Since many groups of students are doing the experiment at the same time, some will
obtain results with different [NaOCl]. Students are allowed
to exchange their results to determine the value of b. Alternatively, they can dilute the [NaOCl] by half and measure
the rate of the reaction. These conditions still meet the criteria
of a pseudo-first-order rate for the blue colorant. Students
determine if the reaction with respect to NaOCl is zero, first,
or second order based on the value of the slope of the curve
in the plot of ln[Blue #1] vs time. If it is zero order with
respect to the NaOCl the slope will be the same, if it is first
order the slope will be one-half the original, and if second
order the slope will be one-fourth.
Typical Results
If students mix 1 mL of the commercial 5% NaOCl solution with 25.00 mL of the stock solution of Blue #1 food
colorant the reaction is complete in less than 15 minutes. If
they follow the rate of disappearance of Blue #1 at 630 nm
they obtain a slope (kobs) in the ln A versus time graph of 0.44
min1 at 28 C.3 In this particular experiment the [NaOCl]
remains constant at 0.026 M (pseudo first order). When the
initial concentration of NaOCl is halved to 0.013 M (diluting
with 0.67 M NaCl solution to maintain ionic strength) the slope
is reduced to half, indicating that the reaction is first order with
respect to this reagent. Alternatively, this order can be found from
the slope of the graph of kobs vs [NaOCl] (5). The typical value
of k obtained by our students is 17 M1 min1 at 28 C.
Safety Precautions
Commercial sodium hypochlorite (for example, Clorox)
is a strong oxidizing agent that should be handled with care

JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu Vol. 75 No. 9 September 1998 Journal of Chemical Education

1143

In the Laboratory

Figure 1. Graphs of the reaction of FD&C Blue #1 and NaOCl at 28 C ( 4 ).

in the laboratory and at home. Do not let it touch your skin

or your clothing. If some is spilled, clean the area with plenty
of water.
Conclusions
This is an excellent experiment to introduce chemical
kinetics at the introductory chemistry level. It sets the base
so that more advanced aspects can be discussed in the physical chemistry laboratory, and it uses inexpensive household
chemicals with only slightly hazardous wastes. In addition,
the reaction occurs at an adequate rate: it is slow enough to
allow a novice to take various spectroscopic measurements,
yet fast enough to be carried out and repeated, if necessary,
in the typical 3-hour educational laboratory. Owing to all
these characteristics, this experiment lends itself to the
design format in which students are allowed to make decisions regarding some aspects of experimental procedure and
data analysis (1).
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Department of Education MSIP
program, the NSF funded Resource Center for Science and
Engineering of Puerto Rico, the Howard Hughes Medical

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Institute, and the UPR Department of Chemistry for sponsoring this work.
Notes
1. Not all Clorox products contain sodium hypochlorite.
2. We prepare the stock solution by diluting 18 drops of commercial McCormick Blue Food colorant with distilled water to 1 liter
of solution to obtain a 106 M concentration.
3. The graphs were obtained by using a Vernier interface coupled
to a Spectronic 20 and using the Spectrophotometer and Graphical
Analysis software. The temperature inside the probe was not controlled;
room temperature is reported.

Literature Cited
1. Arce, J.; Betancourt, R. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 1997, 27(2), 114.
2. The actual experiment is a modified procedure of: Birk, J. P.
J. Chem. Educ. 1976, 53, 195.
3. Marmion, D. M. Handbook of U.S. Colorants for Food, Drugs,
and Cosmetics, 2nd ed.; Wiley: New York, 1984.
4. Benson, S.W. The Foundations of Chemical Kinetics; Robert E.
Krieger: Malabar, FL, 1982; p 81.
5. Nicholson, L. J. Chem. Educ. 1989, 66, 725.

Journal of Chemical Education Vol. 75 No. 9 September 1998 JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu