Lab Report: Investigation on how does the concentration

of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of reaction with magnesium

Name: Matthew Yue

Hypothesis:
The higher the concentration of hydrochloric acid that is tested with magnesium the
higher chances of it colliding with magnesium based on the collision theory which
increases the collision frequency and rate of reaction.​(1)

Equipment ​ ​Diagram
0.4 M HCL (aq) 150ml
0.8 HCL (aq) 150ml
1.2M HCL (aq) 150ml
1.6M HCL (aq) 150ml
2M HCL (aq) 150ml
Magnesium strips (s) (3cm) x12
Stopwatch x1
Beaker x1
Measuring Cylinder (50ml) x1
Delivery Tube x1
Trough x1

Method

1.Fill up the trough with 3/4 of water

2.Fill up the measuring cylinder full of water and place it facing downwards on the
trough filled with water
3.Connect the end of the delivery tube that is not connected to the stopper inside the
measuring cylinder that is filled with water
4.Pour 50 ml of 0.4M HCL into the beaker
5.Pour the 50 ml of 0.4M HCL into the flask
6. Insert one strip of magnesium into the flask then immediately seal the cover of the
flask with the stopper attached to the measuring cylinder
6.Record the time it takes for air to replace the water in the measuring cylinder up to a
certain level (time it takes for the air to fill up from 0 cm - 10cm) with the stopwatch
7.Complete steps 2 - 6 3 times for each different concentration (0.8M, 1.2M, 1.6M, 2M)
8.Complete steps 2 - 7 3 times to acquire the average rate of reaction for each different
concentration

Variables

Controlled Variable Independent Variable Dependent Variable

● Volume of ● Concentration of ● Volume of gas

Hydrochloric acid hydrochloric acid produced from the
● Temperature of the reaction
solution
● Surface area of the
Lab Report: Investigation on how does the concentration
of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of reaction with magnesium
Name: Matthew Yue

magnesium strips

Risk Assessment
Hydrochloric acid​​ - Hydrochloric is hazardous which should be treated with care as
itself is corrosive. If come into contact with eyes, immediately wash your skin with
plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Seek immediate help from a teacher in case of a
serious incident.

Magnesium Strips​​ - If not being used for experimentation it should be kept and stored
away from other liquid substances that could cause an reaction such as oxidation and
corruption

Waste ​- Chemicals would be created after this experiment therefore the solution should
not have contact with sensitive skin areas as the acid is still harmful to your skin. The
vapour made from the reaction is slightly harmful therefore breathing in the vapour
should be avoided

Results

Concentration Trail 1 (time Trail 2 (time Trail 3 (time Average

of taken for 10mL taken for 10mL taken for 10mL (rounded to
Hydrochloric of air to be of air to be of air to be the nearest
Acid filled up) filled up) filled up) second)

0.4M 3 mins 46 secs 3 mins 18 secs 3 mins 16 secs 206 secs

0.8M 39.59 secs 41.50 secs 39.81 secs 40 secs

1.2M 14.61 secs 19.81 secs 18.72 secs 18 secs

1.6M 8.41 secs 8.69 secs 10.78 secs 9 secs

2M 5.45 secs 5.69 secs 6.61 secs 6 secs

Speed of reaction (rounded up to closest three significant figures)

0.4 M = 10​÷​206 = 0.049
0.8 M = 10​÷​40 = 0.250
1.2 M = 10​÷​18 = 0.556
1.6 M = 10​÷​9 = 1.111
2 M = 10​÷​6 = 1.667
Lab Report: Investigation on how does the concentration
of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of reaction with magnesium
Name: Matthew Yue

Graph

Conclusion
In conclusion according to the results we can safely conclude that the higher the
concentration of the hydrochloric acid the faster the time it takes to produce gas. The
reason that higher concentrations of hydrochloric acid means that the particles will
collide with magnesium particles more frequently therefore increasing the rate of
reaction which results in a much shorter time. From the results shown above we can
clearly see that the higher the concentration, the rate of reaction also increases which is
shown in the graph above and also in the results listed above. Both the graph and
results supports as the hydrochloric acid with the concentration of 0.4M has a reaction
rate of 0.049 while other concentrations has a higher rate of reaction such as the
hydrochloric acid with 2M has a reaction rate of 1.667, therefore proving my hypothesis
of the higher the concentration of hydrochloric acid, the higher chances of it colliding
with magnesium based on the collision theory as more particles are colliding with each
other. This increases the rate of reaction which proves that my hypothesis is in fact
correct.
Lab Report: Investigation on how does the concentration
of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of reaction with magnesium
Name: Matthew Yue

Evaluation
From the experiment’s end results I can conclude that my hypothesis is in fact correct
but couldn't possibly be perfectly accurate due to the factors of human error. The time
recording was used with a stopwatch which could be improved by using other
technology such as a motion sensor which would have made the results much more
accurate. Time management is also an issue that from the experiment as we did not
calculate the time it takes for the 0.4M hydrochloric acid to fully corrode the magnesium
strip which took a very long time before the reaction happens and gas starts to form
which significantly impacted our experiment as it wasted a lot of time. This resulted in
us to having to change what we had to measure which was the time it takes for air to fill
up 10mL of water instead of 50mL which was the original plan as we did not have
enough time in the double period. A change could be made as instead of using a trough
and measuring cylinder we can replace it with gas syringes as it reduces the risk factors
of using a measuring cylinder and trough as there is a chance of breaking it as it is made
​ ​From the experiment I have noticed that the flask becomes warm during
out of glass. (4)
the reaction, this could be another experiment which could be how heat affects the rate
of reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid. Another experiment could be
changing the method as we can also test for the effects of other acids on the rate of
reaction.​(2)
Lab Report: Investigation on how does the concentration
of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of reaction with magnesium
Name: Matthew Yue

Works Cited
1.“ THE COLLISION THEORY OF REACTION RATES.” A ​ n Introduction to the Collision 
Theory in Rates of Reaction​, 
www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/introduction.html.

2.Libretexts. “Factors That Affect Reaction Rates.” ​Chemistry LibreTexts​, Libretexts, 

21 July 2016, 
chem.libretexts.org/Textbook_Maps/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook
_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/Rea
ction_Rates/Factors_That_Affect_Reaction_Rates

3.“ONLINE CHARTS | Create and Design Your Own Charts and Diagrams Online.” 
Online Charts and Graphs​, www.onlinecharttool.com/. 
 

4.“The Rate of Reaction of Magnesium with Hydrochloric Acid.” ​The Rate of Reaction 
of Magnesium with Hydrochloric Acid- Learn Chemistry​, 
www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001916/the-rate-of-reaction-of-magnes
ium-with-hydrochloric-acid?cmpid=CMP00006119.