SCH 4UE - B

Chemistry lab –
Rate Reaction
Examination of the
Three Acids
Submitted to Mr. Courtney
Kevin Tan
Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to examine the rate of reaction corresponding to
the concentration of the hydrogen ions of the acids.

Hypothesis
The concentration of the hydrogen ions has a positive effect on the rate of the
reaction for acids. For that reason, the lower the pH of an acid, the higher the rate
of reaction would the acid go through.

Prediction
It is predicted that the stronger acids (with the higher concentration of hydrogen
ions, also the lower pH) would have the higher rate of reaction.

Materials
• Beaker

• Copper Wire

• Calibrated Gas Collection Tube

• Retort Stand

• Clamp

• Stop Watch

• Thermometer

• Rubber Stopper (With a hole)

• Distilled Water

Design Table
Dependent Variables Time that each acid would react to
produce 10mL of hydrogen gas with
magnesium
Independent Variables The type of acids: H2SO4, CH3COOH, HCl
Controlled Variables Temperature
Pressure
Other Environmental Factors
Amount of reactants
Data
Name of Acid Time of Reaction Temperature Before Temperature After
Reaction Reaction

Sulphuric Acid 104 Seconds 13.4 oC 14.2 oC

Hydrochloric Acid 149 Seconds 10.0 oC 11.5 oC

Acetic Acid 207 Seconds 16.0 oC 16.0 oC

Calculations
The calculation for the hydrogen ion concentration of H2SO4:

The first hydrogen for H2SO4 dissociates completely, therefore 0.3 moles / litre of
hydrogen ions.

ICE Table HSO4- H+ SO42-

Initial
1.5 1.5 0
Concentrations
Change in
-x +x +x
Concentrations
Equilibrium
1.5 - x 1.5 + x x
Concentrations
Ka2 = 1.0 * 10-2

0.1 =

0.015 – 0.01x = x2 + 1.5x

0 = x2 + 1.51x – 0.015

x = 0.00987 = 9.87 * 10-3

[H+] = 1.5 + 0.00987 = 1.50987 mol/L

The concentration of H2SO4(aq) is 1.50987 mol/L.

Since hydrochloric acid is a strong acid, it only has 1 hydrogen ion to donate,
therefore the concentration of HCl(aq) is 0.3 mol/L.

The acetic acid is an organic weak acid, and does not dissociate completely, an ICE
table is required.

ICE Table CH3COOH H+ CH3COO-

Initial
3.0 0 0
Concentrations
Change in
-x +x +x
Concentrations
Equilibrium
3.0 - x x x
Concentrations
Ka = 1.8 * 10-5

0.000018 =

Test: 3.0 / 0.000018 >> 250

0.000018 * 3.0 = x2

X = 0.00735 mol/L

The concentration of CH3COOH(aq) is 0.00735 mol/L.

Analysis
Here`s a chart showing a general shape of the experimental data.

Acid Name Concentration Time takes to finish

reaction
H2SO4 Sulphuric Acid 1.5094 104 seconds
HCl Hydrochloric Acid 3.0 149 seconds
CH3COOH Acetic Acid 0.00735 207 seconds

As shown in the chart, the experimental data demonstrates inaccuracy with the
predicted results. The sulphuric acid, which does not have the highest
concentration, has the fastest rate of reaction. This inaccuracy could potentially be
produced from the lack of precision of lab equipments.

Questions
1.Did the results of the experiment agree with the predictions you
made on your pre-lab work?

No, the results do not agree with the pre-lab predictions. Due to experimental
errors, the sulphuric acid produced the highest rate of reaction, when its
concentration is approximately half of the hydrochloric acid.

2. Assuming each acid mixed with the water in the tube before the
reaction started (the acid would be diluted by the number of moles
contained in the 10ml be diluted to the total volume of the tube)
what is the concentration of the acids once the reaction started?

Acid Name Initial Concentration Diluted Concentration

H2SO4 Sulphuric Acid 1.5094 1.8705*10-1
HCl Hydrochloric Acid 3.0 3.00*10-1
CH3COOH Acetic Acid 0.00735 2.29*10-3
Calculations

ICE Table HSO4- SO42- H+

Initial 0.149013 0.000987 0.150987
Concentration
Change in
-x +x +x
Concentration
Equilibrium 0.149013-x 0.000987+x 0.150987+x
Concentration

Ka2

Ka2=1.0*10-2

[H+] = 0.150987+0.03606 = 0.18705 mol/L

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid; therefore the diluted concentration is
equivalent to the initial concentration divided by 10.

ICE Table CH3COOH CH3COO- H+

Initial 0.299265 0.000735 0.000735
Concentration
Change in
-x +x +x
Concentration
Equilibrium 0.299265-x 0.000735+x 0.000735+x
Concentration

Ka

Ka= 1.8*10-5

0.001554

[H+] = 0.000735+0.001554 = 0.002289 mol/L

3. From the information above, what was the pH of each acid when
reaction started?

Acid Name Diluted Concentration pH

H2SO4 Sulphuric Acid 1.8705*10-1 0.73
HCl Hydrochloric Acid 3.00*10-1 0.52
CH3COOH Acetic Acid 2.29*10-3 2.64
Sample Calculation

pH = - log [H+]

= - log [3.00*10-1]

= 0.52

4. Did the temperature of the water change significantly during the

reaction?
The temperature of the water did not rise significantly, but they did increase by a
few degrees.

5. What is the ΔH of formation of the MgCl 2 , Mg(CH 3 COO) 2 , and

MgSO 4 and how might this have affected the reaction rate observed?

Chemical Name ΔHfo (kJ/mol)

MgCl2 -641.3
Mg(CH3COO)2
MgSO4
The heat released as these compounds are formed could potentially increase the
temperature, therefore increasing the k constant of rate equation as well as the rate
of reaction.

6. Briefy summarize what you learned about predicting the result of

a chemical reaction based on theoretical calculations.

The experimental results are wrong according to the prediction, this demonstrates
that at our level of understanding, we`re still not accurate enough at predicting the
rate of reactions for certain chemical equations.

Extension*question not listed

FOR H2SO4:
The chemical rate of reaction equation for H2SO4(aq) reacting with Mg(s) is:

k=0.00215

FOR HCL:

The chemical rate of reaction equation for H2SO4(aq) reacting with Mg(s) is:

k=0.000947

FOR CH3COOH:
The chemical rate of reaction equation for H2SO4(aq) reacting with Mg(s) is:

k=0.0873

Question: The pH of pure water is 7.0. If you were to add 1x10-8

moles of HCl to one litre of water what would be the resulting pH?

Originally there were 1.0*10-7 mol/L of hydrogen ions in the solution, after adding a
1*10-8 of strong acid the concentration would add up, therefore producing a solution
with the hydrogen ion concentration being 1.1*10-7, which produces a pH of 6.96.

Sources of Error
There are many sources of error in this experiment; all the errors can be classified
either as systematic or random.

The systematic error in this lab was the concerning the concentration of the acid in
the burette. The long shaped burette containing the newly poured acid would
eventually require a long time to completely dissolve. However, during the
experiment, this was not given time to happen; therefore causing inaccuracy
overstating the time of reaction, thus understating the rate of reaction. Also, the
burette`s total volume actually exceed 100mL, thus the total volume was
overstated, and the concentration of the acids inside the burette was understated,
and thus understating the rate of reaction.

There were many random errors in this experiment. First of all, the human error
which was produced due to the inaccuracy of the timing, estimating the 10mL
production of hydrogen gas, the handling of acid`s concentration; all these factors
could affect the results of the experiment randomly. Secondly, the quantity of the
reactant initially were not exactly at the measurement required, such as the size of
the magnesium stripe itself could vary for each trial of acid, therefore setting off the
accuracy of the experimental results. Lastly, the temperature of the solution varied
during the experiment, which would change the k constant for the equation, this
would cause a slight uneven change to the rate of reaction, thus decreasing the
precision of the experimental results.

Due to these experimental errors, the experimental results were not as accurate as
it could have been, to eliminate these errors, it`s advised to use an electronic pH
detecting devise to precisely measure the pH of the acids given to lab crews
initially; mass each magnesium piece given to lab crew with electronic mass; allow
more time to let the acids dissolve completely into the burette; and also utilize
exact 100mL burette. Perhaps owing to these errors, the experiment failed to
connect with the hypothesis/prediction. If this experiment was to be conducted
again, please be aware of the these errors and utilize the fixes.

Conclusion
The hypothesis was incorrect. There were no correlation between the concentration
of the acid and the rate of reaction.