Chemistry Pilot Experiment

Chemistry Pilot Experiment

Aim:

The aim was to become accustomed to working with the equipment and to

find optimum levels of hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon to

produce 60cm of hydrogen, a sensible amount to produce in the real

experiment. We also began to investigate the effect of temperature on

the rate and the result of the product (hydrogen). It also served to

discover any errors in the procedure which could affect the final

result and prevent us getting accurate results, thus allowing us to

eliminate these errors in the real experiment.

Diagram:

Method:

We attached a gas syringe via a plastic tube to a test tube and used a

clamp and stand to hold the gas syringe in place. Having poured 25cm

of hydrochloric acid (of strength 1M) into the test tube, we placed a

strip of magnesium ribbon (which length varied each time we repeated

the procedure) in the test tube and rapidly pushed a rubber bung into

the top of the test tube to avoid any gas (hydrogen) produced in the

reaction escaping. We then poured out the contents of the test tube

and repeated the procedure using the same amount of hydrochloric acid

but a different length of magnesium ribbon.

The next procedure we carried out involved changing another variable.

Having discovered what length of magnesium ribbon would produce 60cm

of hydrogen when allowed to react with 25cm of hydrochloric acid, we

then used this length of magnesium ribbon and the same amount of

hydrochloric but changed the temperature of the hydrochloric acid that

was allowed to react with the magnesium ribbon to see if this had any

effect on the reaction by previously heating the hydrochloric acid to

different temperatures using a Bunsen burner. We recorded the amount

of hydrogen produced every 15 seconds using a stopwatch.

Results:

This is a word equation for the reaction between magnesium and

hydrochloric acid:

magnesium+ hydrochloric acid→ magnesium chloride+ hydrogen

Here is a table of the amounts of hydrogen produced when 25cm of