Charles Marzzacco, Providence RI

Many of the people I meet for the first time seem impressed to learn that I am a chemistry professor. This makes me feel
good until they go on to tell me how much they disliked chemistry when they were in school. I love chemistry and most of the
chemistry teachers I know love it too, yet it seems we have difficulty transferring our joy to so many of our students. This,
I believe, is one of the major challenges facing our profession.

The effect of a change in the catalyst on the enthalpy of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide
Reprinted from pages 16-17, May 2001

In an earlier article published in Chem 13 News, I presented an Procedure

overhead projector demonstration of the catalytic decomposition
of hydrogen peroxide.1 One of the catalysts described in that To perform the calorimeter experiment, add 50.0 mL of the
article was ferric nitrate. household H2O2 solution to a 6-oz polystyrene cup. Stirring can
be performed by using a glass rod or by adding a stir bar and
In a more recent article in the Journal of Chemical Education,2 placing the cup on a magnetic stirrer. A thermometer covering
I described an introductory chemistry calorimetry experiment on the range of 20-40oC should be suspended in the solution.
the enthalpy of decomposition of H2O2 using Fe(NO3)3(aq) as a Ideally, this thermometer should be precise to 0.01oC, but a
catalyst. The experiment is simple, inexpensive and colorful. precision of 0.1oC is more than adequate. Alternatively, the
In its simplest form, it can be performed in less than one hour. temperature can be monitored as a function of time by using a
The experiment uses polystyrene coffee cups, requires inexpensive temperature probe interfaced to a computer. The latter method
chemicals that present no disposal problems, and produces a was used in this study. Record the temperature every half-
large temperature change. The addition of the Fe(NO3)3(aq) minute for four and a half minutes. At the 5-minute mark, add
catalyst produces a dramatic color change followed by the 50.0 mL of the first catalyst solution. Continue to make
evolution of oxygen gas bubbles. At the completion of the temperature readings until the 20-minute mark is reached.
reaction, the color returns to the original color of the catalyst. Repeat the entire procedure using the second catalyst.

In this article, I describe an extension of this experiment that To obtain good results, it is important that the hydrogen peroxide
involves an investigation of the effect of changing the catalyst on solution and the catalysts are initially at the same temperature.
the enthalpy of decomposition of H2O2. The two catalysts used This can be assured by storing them in the same location for
in this experiment are a Fe(NO3)3 solution and a slightly basic sufficient time for them to come into thermal equilibrium with
NaI solution. their surroundings.

Background Results and calculations

Household hydrogen peroxide (3% by mass) is used in this Temperature vs time graphs are shown in Fig. 1 for the NaI
experiment. The molarity of the solution can be determined by catalyst and in Fig. 2 for the Fe(NO3)3 catalyst. The initial and
titration with standard KMnO4. Detailed procedures for the final temperatures were found by extrapolating the two linear
standardization of KMnO4 and the determination of the H2O2 portions of the graph to the point of mixing. It can be seen that
solution can be found in any analytical chemistry text and are the two experimental temperature changes are quite similar.
also available from me on request. Alternatively, an
approximate calculation of the molar concentration can be In doing the calculations, it is assumed that the densities of the
performed by assuming that the concentration is exactly 3% and two solutions resulting from mixing the catalysts with the
that the density of the solution is 1.0 g/mL. Such a calculation hydrogen peroxide are both 1.00 g mL-1 and that the specific
leads to a value of 0.88 M. The actual molar concentration of heats of these solutions are 4.18 J g-1 oC-1. The heat capacity
such solutions is usually slightly larger than this. For example, of the calorimeter cup is taken as 5.0 J oC-1. The molar
I obtained a value of 0.919 M by analyzing my solution using the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution used in this
above procedures. experiment was 0.919 M. The calculations for the reaction with
the NaI catalyst are shown below.
The two catalysts used in this experiment are a
0.10 M Fe(NO3)3 solution, and a 0.50 M NaI solution that is also Amount of H2O2 decomposed
0.01 M in NaOH. The NaI solution is made slightly basic in = n = CV = (0.919 mol L-1)(0.0500 L) = 0.0460 mol
order to prevent a side reaction involving the oxidation of I- to I2
by H2O2. The Fe(NO3)3 solution should be prepared from the Heat released to the solution
hydrated salt and should not be acidified. This solution will have = qsoln = -(mass)(specific heat)(temperature change)
an amber color due to a small concentration of Fe(H2O)5OH2+ = -(100.0 g)(4.18 J g-1 oC-1)(10.24oC)
resulting from the hydrolysis of the Fe(H O) 3+ ion.
2 6 = -4.28 103 J
12 Chem 13 News/November 2008
Heat released to the cup = qcup
= -(heat capacity of the calorimeter cup)(temp change) More complicated mechanisms involving the free radicals I and
So, q = -(5.0 J oC-1)(10.24oC) = -51 J = -0.051 103 J OH have also been proposed.3
cup

Total heat change = qtotal = qsoln + qcup The iron-catalyzed reaction is an especially colorful one. The
= -4.28 103 J - 0.051 103 J = -4.33 103 J initial Fe(NO3)3(aq) solution has an amber color due to the small
amount of Fe(H2O)5OH2+ present from the hydrolysis of the
Enthalpy of decomposition Fe3+(aq) ion. The addition of this catalyst to the H2O2 solution
= H = qtotal/n = -4.33 103 J/0.0460 mole results in the formation of a dark reddish-brown solution which is
= -9.41 104 J/mol. due to the formation of the Fe(H2O)5(O2H)2+(aq) intermediate,
So, H = -94.1 kJ/(mol of H2O2 decomposed) where HO2- results from the loss of a proton from H2O2. This is
followed by the evolution of oxygen bubbles. As the reaction
The data obtained for the Fe(NO3)3 catalyst yielded a value of goes to completion, the solution returns to the original amber
-95.8 kJ/mol. These values compare reasonably well with the color of the catalyst. A possible mechanism for this reaction is
value of -94.66 kJ/mol obtained from the literature values of the shown below.4
standard enthalpies of formation of H2O2(aq), H2O(l) and O2(g).
Fe(H2O)63+ + H2O2(aq) Fe(H2O)5(O2H)2+(aq) + H3O+(aq)
Discussion Fe(H2O)5(O2H)2+(aq) OH-(aq) + Fe(H2O)5O3+(aq)
Fe(H2O)5O3+(aq) + H2O2(aq) Fe(H2O)63+(aq) + O2(g)
The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide results in the following
overall reaction: H3O+(aq) + OH-(aq) 2H2O(l)
2 H2O2(aq) 2 H2O(l) + O2(g) (1)
Other possible mechanisms for this reaction have been
This reaction is very slow in the absence of a catalyst at room proposed.
temperature. The Fe(NO3)3 and NaI solutions provide
alternative mechanisms for the reaction to occur. The As with any mechanism involving a catalyst, the sum of the
alternative paths that these catalysts provide require lower free steps of the mechanism must add up to the net overall reaction
energies of activation than is the case for the uncatalyzed given in equation 1. Since the same net chemical reaction is
reaction. However, the overall chemical reaction is the same occurring with either catalyst, the enthalpy change must be the
when the reaction is performed in the presence of a catalyst as it same also.
is in the absence of a catalyst. Thus, the overall enthalpy of
reaction is the same whether or not a catalyst is present. The References
enthalpy change should not depend on the nature of the
catalyst. This experiment clearly demonstrates that this is so. 1. C.J. Marzzacco, Chem 13 News, February 1995, page 1.
2. C.J. Marzzacco, Journal of Chemical Education, November 1999,
For the reaction catalyzed by I-, the following mechanism has pages 1517-1518.
been proposed.3
3. P.G. Ashmore, in Catalysis and Inhibition of Chemical Reactions,
I-(aq) + H O (aq) HOI(aq) + OH-(aq)
2 2 Butterworths, 1963, page 62.
HOI(aq) + OH-(aq) H2O(l) + OI-(aq) 4. C. Walling, Accounts of Chemical Research, volume 8, pages 125-
OI-(aq) + H2O2(aq) I-(aq) + H2O(l) + O2(g) 131 (1975).

November 2008/Chem 13 News 13