Name: Jamal Dow

Class: L6O
Date: 15/04/16
Title: Rate of Reaction- Plan and Design
Problem Statement: You went to the hairdresser and noticed that the hydrogen
peroxide was kept in the refrigerator. Suggest a hypothesis for the storage of the
hydrogen peroxide and design an experiment to test tour hypothesis.

Hypothesis: The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide increases with increase in

temperature.

Aim: To investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decomposition of

hydrogen peroxide and where it should be stored.

Theory: The rate of a chemical reaction can be regarded as the change in

concentration of the reactant or product for the reaction with respect to time. The
graph that shows the change in concentration over time is therefore known as a rate
curve. The rate of the reaction at any instant in time is given by the gradient of the
curve at that instant. The gradient of the curve is found by drawing the tangent to the
curve at that point and taking its gradient. The tangent at time zero is called the initial
rate. The gradient of this tangent is steepest of any taken along the rate curve; this
means the reaction is fastest at the start. The rate of a reaction can be affected by
pressure, size of the solid particles, temperature, catalyst and other factors. Equation
for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is shown as:
2H2O2(aq) 2H2O(l) + O2(g)
However, hydrogen peroxide is somewhat unstable. It decomposes at room
temperature to yield oxygen. Peroxides are sensitive to heat and the rate of
decomposition is greatly accelerated by substances including acids, bases and
transition metal ions. For example, hydrogen peroxide decomposes very slowly by
itself to form water and oxygen, however, in the presence of manganese (IV) oxide,
the reaction is very rapid; it provides a different reaction path with lower activation
energy hence the rapid occurrence. Lower activation energy then leads to a greater
proportion of the particles colliding successfully and therefore reacting.
The volume of gas given off in a reaction can be measured at various time intervals
using a gas syringe. The volume of oxygen produced from the decomposition of
hydrogen peroxide could be used to monitor changes in the rate of this reaction.

Materials/Apparatus: 2 moldm-3 hydrogen peroxide solution, powdered

manganese (IV) oxide, distilled water, stopwatch, spatula, (4) 250cm3 conical flask,
rubber bongs with delivery tube, graduated gas syringe, electronic scale,
thermometer, water bath, Bunsen burner, (4) 500cm3 beakers.

Diagram:

Figure 1.0: Apparatus set up to determine the effect of temperature on the rate of
decomposition of H2O2(as).

Method:
1. Pour 100cm3 of distilled water into the beaker and gently heat until the
temperature of the water bath reaches 20 .
2. Add 25cm3 of the hydrogen peroxide in a conical flask. Place the conical
flask in the water bath then add 1g of powdered manganese (IV) oxide to the
hydrogen peroxide and mix.
3. Immediately connect the gas collecting apparatus as shown in figure 1.0 and
start stopwatch.
4. Record the volume of gas collected in the syringe at 10 second intervals from
the start of the reaction until 8 sets of readings are obtained.
5. Use the results to plot a graph of volume of gas evolved against time.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 at 30 , 40 and 50 .
2

Variables:
Controlled: Concentration and volume of the hydrogen peroxide, mass of
Manganese (IV) oxide added.
Manipulated: Temperature.
Responding: Initial rate of reaction.

Expected Results:
Table 1.0: Showing the volume of oxygen gas produced during the course of the
experiment with increase in temperature.
Temperature/ oC
o

20 C
Time/ s

Vol. of
gas/ cm3

40 oC

30 C
Time/ s

Vol. of
gas/ cm3

Time/ s

Vol. of
gas/ cm3

50 oC
Time/ s

Vol. of
gas/ cm3

Treatment of Results:
Plot a graph of volume of gas produced vs time for each temperature. A curve ought
to be obtained when the graphs are plotted. Find the gradient of the curve by drawing
a tangent to the curve. The initial rate is equal to gradient (cm3s-1). Compare the
initial rates for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at 20 , 30 , 40
and 50oC. Hence determine where the hydrogen peroxide should be stored.

If the initial rate increases with increasing temperature, then the rate of
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide increases with increasing temperature and the
hypothesis is valid.
If the initial rate decreases with increasing temperature, then the rate of
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide decreases with increasing temperature and the
hypothesis is invalid.

Limitations
Assumption:

Assuming enough catalyst is added to produce a measurable amount of

oxygen gas within time frame allotted and the temperatures at which the
decomposition is taking place is enough to give

Sources of Error:

When the conical flask containing hydrogen peroxide is added to the water
bath (at a higher temperature) the decomposition may begin and some gas
may be lost. As a result, the initial rate calculated may not be very
accurate.

As the temperature at which the experiment is being increased so does the

evaporation of the water being produced, thereby unavoidably increasing
the volume of gas collected in the syringe with respect to time (rate).
Therefore, giving a false increase of the rate of decomposition.

Precautions:

Ensure the rubber bung or stopper is firmly corks the top of the conical
flask to prevent minimal escape of gas.

References:
Rates of Reactions in Chemistry for Cape by Maraj S. and Arnold Samai pg.116,
Caribbean Educational Publishers 2009.
Definitions- Rates of Reaction in AS and A Level Chemistry by Lewis E. and
Martyn Berry pg. 292, Pearson Education Limited 2000
Chemistry A Caribbean Examinations Council Study Guide (2012 Edition),
Publisher- Nelson Thornes Ltd., Location- Cheltenham, United Kingdom, AuthorsRoger Norris, Leroy Barrett, Annette Maynard-Alleyne and Jennifer Murray. PAGE
77, 80 and 81.