The Effect of Concentration on the Rate of Reaction

751 Words2 Pages

The Effect of Concentration on the Rate of Reaction

Aim: We are going to investigate how change in the concentration of

acid affects the rate of reaction.

Introduction:

Chemical Reactions are caused when the particles collide with each

other to react. This is known as collision theory. Particles need

enough energy to make a successful reaction. This is called activation

energy when the minimum amount of energy is present a reaction

happens. The formula for the collision theory is ½ mv2.. Altering the

following factors can increase the rate of reaction:

Sizes of chips - Varying the size of chips will have an effect on the

results ie the smaller the chips the less of a successful reaction

takes places.

Temperature - If the temperature is increased, the particles gain more

kinetic energy, meaning they move further and faster. This means that

collisions are more likely to happen, and will happen with more force,

therefore speeding up the reaction time.

Increasing the pressure in a gas - If the amount of particles is

increased in the same volume of gas, the particles are more likely to

collide therefore increasing the rate of reaction.

Increasing the surface area - If the surface area of the reacting

particles is increased i.e. using powder instead of a block, there are

more particles available for reaction. This means that reactions are

more likely, therefore speeding up the rate of reaction.

Using a suitable catalyst - A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a

reaction but is not used up itself. When added to a reaction, some

catalysts provide a surface for particles to stick to, making them

more likely to collide with other particles. Others provide a lower

energy pathway meaning that particles do not have to collide with each

other so violently in order to react.

Prediction: I think that increasing the concentration of the acid in

this experiment will speed up the rate of reaction, as there will be

more particles in the same space, meaning they are closer together and

Open Document