Keiji Yamamoto 5 TCT

Chemistry mock IA
Topic
Kinetics (rate of reaction)

Research question
How does increasing the concentration (0.4M,0.6M,0.8M,1.0M,1.2M) rate of reaction through measuring
the volume of gas produced per second using a 100cm3 gas syringe and stopwatch.

Background information
Modern chemical (reaction) kinetics is a topic of science that describes and explains chemical reactions as
we know them today. It is the study of the rate of chemical reactions or the transformations of reactants
into products that occur according to a specific mechanism. The change in concentration of reactant or
product over time is used to indicate the pace of a chemical process. It should also be noted that many
other chemical and physicochemical disciplines, such as analytical chemistry, chemical thermodynamics,
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technology, and so on, research chemical reactions.

Collision theory explains why different reactions occur at different rates, and suggests ways to change the
rate of a reaction. Collision theory states that for a chemical reaction to occur, the reacting particles must
collide with one another. The rate of the reaction depends on the frequency of collisions. The theory also
tells us that reacting particles often collide without reacting. For collisions to be successful, reacting
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particles must (1) collide with (2) sufficient energy, and (3) with the proper orientation.

To investigate effects of concentrations of HCl (0.4M,0.6M,0.8M,1.0M,1.2M) on the rate of reaction by

measuring the volume of CO2 gas collected in a 100 cm3 gas syringe for every 5 second intervals up to 60
seconds.

Hydrochloric acid and Calcium Carbonate react to produce Magnesium Chloride and Carbon Dioxide and
Water. It is an acid and base reaction which is an exothermic reaction.

I can identify the rate of reaction for different concentrations by plotting a graph of the volume of Carbon
Dioxide produced against time. The rate is defined as The reaction rate for a given chemical reaction is
the measure of the change in concentration of the reactants or the change in concentration of the products
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per unit time. Thus, by identifying the initial tangent of the graph plotted, the rate for each concentration
can be discovered and compared.

The Chemical Equation for this reaction is

2HCl+CaCO3 → CaCl2+H2O+CO2

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HYPOTHESIS

The hypothesis that I had come up with is "increase in concentration of a reactant will increase the rate at
which the product is produced". As concentration of HCl increases there are more particles per unit
volume. Particles are closer together, thus greater frequency of collision which results in a greater
successful collision. Thus, increasing the rate of reaction. This can be observed from the diagram below.

*4

Also, from the Maxwell-Boltzmann curve we can understand that at greater concentration, more particles
have energy above EA. Therefore, the initial rate of reaction should increase when concentration
increases.

*5

Apparatus/chemicals
Apparatus / Chemicals QUANTITY CONCENTRATION

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 CaCO3 powder 50g
HCl 300cm3 2 mol/dm3
Graduated cylinder 25cm3±0.5ml 1
Distilled water 500cm3
Electronic balance ±0.01g 1
stopwatch ±0.01s 1
Gas syringe 100cm3±0.5cm3 1
delivery tube 1
rubber bung 1
Volumetric flask 100cm3±0.1ml 5
Filter funnel 1
Glass rod 1

Methodology
The reason why I had decided to use gas produced to identify the rate of reaction is because in this
reaction, CO2 gas is produced and unlike H2 gas which is light and difficult to measure, CO 2 gas has
enough mass to show significant difference. Also, I had done several pre-trials on which concentration
gives me the most measurable data and found out that concentration above 1.2mol/dm 3 produces CO2 gas
at an insanely high rate and it was very difficult to note down the volume of gas produced therefore, I
used a concentration that is below 1.2mol/dm3. I had decided to use 0.24g of CaCO3 in powder form as
after a trial I had discovered that it produced sufficient volume over 60s and the reaction was not
excessively fast. I tried using marble chips and a lump of CaCO3. However, the volume produced was too
little or close to zero. Thus, I used powdered CaCO 3. Also, using the formula C1V1= C2V2 (where C=
concentration and V= Volume) we can identify the volume of HCl 2mol/dm 3 and distilled water required
to produced solution of HCl for concentration of 1.2M,1M,0.8M,0.6M,0.4M.

PROCEDURE

1. Switch on the air conditioner and set it to 22˚C.

2. Measure 60cm3 of HCl (2mol/dm3) using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a volumetric flask.
Add distilled water into volumetric flask until meniscus matches the 100cm 3 line provided by the
volumetric flask. Swirl the newly formed 100cm3 solution of hydrochloric acid solution. Take a
masking tape and label the Volumetric flask as 1.2 mol/dm 3.
3. Measure 50cm3 of HCl (2mol/dm3) using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a volumetric flask.
Add distilled water into volumetric flask until meniscus matches the 100cm 3 line provided by the
volumetric flask. Swirl the newly formed 100cm3 solution of hydrochloric acid solution. Take a
masking tape and label the Volumetric flask as 1. mol/dm 3 .

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 4. Measure 40cm3 of HCl (2mol/dm3) using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a volumetric flask.
Add distilled water into volumetric flask until meniscus matches the 100cm 3 line provided by the
volumetric flask. Swirl the newly formed 100cm3 solution of hydrochloric acid solution. Take a
masking tape and label the Volumetric flask as 0.8 mol/dm 3 .
5. Measure 30cm3 of HCl (2mol/dm3) using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a volumetric flask.
Add distilled water into volumetric flask until meniscus matches the 100cm 3 line provided by the
volumetric flask. Swirl the newly formed 100cm3 solution of hydrochloric acid solution. Take a
masking tape and label the Volumetric flask as 0.6 mol/dm 3 .
6. Measure 20cm3 of HCl (2mol/dm3) using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a volumetric flask.
Add distilled water into volumetric flask until meniscus matches the 100cm 3 line provided by the
volumetric flask. Swirl the newly formed 100cm3 solution of hydrochloric acid solution. Take a
masking tape and label the Volumetric flask as 0.4 mol/dm 3 .
7. Let the 5 volumetric flasks with the hydrochloric acid solutions rest in a room with a
thermometer in them and then start the experiment once all thermometer readings show
approximately the same reading around 22˚C.
8. Fix a one-hole rubber bung to a delivery tube that is connected to one end of the gas syringe with
its plunger fully depressed to read 0cm3 .
9. Using an electronic balance and weighing plate, weigh out 0.2g of powdered CaCO 3 then pour the
measured CaCO3 powder into a conical flask.
10. Using Filter funnel and glass rod, pour 25cm3 of 1.2mol/dm3 HCl solution from the volumetric
flask into the graduated cylinder.
11. Pour the 25cm3 of 1.2mol/dm3 of HCl measured out into a conical flask immediately and seal the
conical flask with rubber bung with a gas syringe and start the stopwatch at the same time as you
seal the conical flask.
12. Record the gas evolved using the reading shown on the gas syringe every 5 seconds for 60
seconds readings.
13. Repeat steps 9-11 for 1.0 mol/dm3 ,0.8 mol/dm3 ,0.6mol/dm3, 0.4mol/dm3
14. Wash and clean the conical flasks.
15. Write all the recorded results down in a suitable table.
16. Plot a graph of volume of CO2 gas produced against time.
17. Find the initial rate of reaction by finding the gradient of the tangent at the start and compare with
other concentrations’ gradients’ tangents.

Variables

Independent variable Dependent variable

Concentration of HCl solution (1.2mol/dm3, Volume of CO2 gas evolved (cm3) per 5 second
1.0mol/dm3,0.8mol/dm3, 0.6mol/dm3,0.4mol/dm3) interval until 60 second

Controlled variable Rationale to keep the control variable constant

Temperature of environment and solution The temperature of the surrounding and solution
must be kept constant as solutions at greater
temperature have higher rate of reaction. This is
due to the fact that as temperature increases, the
particle gains a greater amount of heat energy and

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 converts it to kinetic energy. This increases the
amount of reactant with energy above EA thus,
increases the rate of successful collision. As it
directly affects the rate of constant, it must be kept
constant to ensure that the experiment is fair
throughout the different concentrations. Thus, I
had set the air-conditioner at 22 degree celsius to
ensure the reaction is as fair as possible.

Volume of HCl solution used in the reaction The volume of HCl must be kept constant
throughout the reaction as increase in the volume
of HCl solution means that the number of HCl
particles increases. Even if the solution is at the
same concentration, greater volume leads to
greater successful collision rate. This makes the
experiment unvalid as the reaction is not fair
throughout. Thus, by using graduated cylinder, I
had measured out 25cm3 of HCl solution for each
concentration and trial.

Type of calcium carbonate Type of calcium carbonate must be fine powder

for every reaction as different shapes of calcium
carbonate have different surface area. As most
chemical reactions take part at the surface of the
reactant, increase in surface area increases the rate
of successful collision. By varying the shape or
type of calcium carbonate, it leads to greater or
slower rate of reaction even if concentration is
constant. Thus, in order for this reaction to be
valid, I can only use 1 type of calcium carbonate
which is fine powder.

Mass of CaCO3 The mass of calcium carbonate used in the

practical must be kept constant as increase in mass
of calcium carbonate will lead to greater rate of
reaction. If mass of calcium carbonate increases,
the total surface area of reactant will increase,
leading to higher rate as successful collision per
unit time increases. As it directly affects the rate
of constant, it must be kept constant to ensure that
the experiment is fair throughout the different
concentrations. Thus, by using electronic balance,
I had specifically measured out 0.2g of calcium
carbonate for each reaction.

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DATA

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Experiment setup

Graph

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*Please zoom into the graph so that legend and gradient can be seen

Analysis of graph
Gradients of initial rate can be identified by differentiating the volume of CO 2 produced with time. From
the following equation where R= rate, C= concentration of product (volume of CO 2 produced),t=time,
d ΔC
R=
d Δt
I had identified the initial rate (t=0) of reaction for the 5 different concentrations using the logger pro tool.

Concentration (mol/dm3) Gradient of tangent when t=0

(2.s.f)

1.2mol/dm3 Slope:1.1

1.0mol/dm3 Slope:0.97

0.8mol/dm3 Slope:0.63

0.6mol/dm3 Slope:0.54

0.4mol/dm3 Slope: 0.30

The graphed results show that as the concentration of the HCl solution used increases from 0.4mol/dm 3 to
1.2mol/dm3, the gradients of the graphs increase as well, indicating that the volume of gas produced per

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unit time increased and hence the rate of reaction increases.

The graph did not reach a plateau (gradient reaches 0) at any concentration, indicating that the reaction
had not finished.

There were some anomalies in the experiment however, overall they all follow the same trend. This
shows that the experiment was done properly and most procedures were followed.

All of the plots show the volume of gas produced per 5 seconds increasing at a decreasing rate. This is
because as the reaction proceeds the concentration of the HCl decreases and the surface area of the CaCO 3
also decreases resulting in less frequent collisions, so the rate decreases with time for all plots for all
concentrations of HCl.

Some of the lines plotted do not start from the origin due to systematic error within this experiment, and
can also understand from the graph that random error has been reduced.

The uncertainty of initial rate can be calculated by adding the percentage uncertainty of volume of CO 2
and time. However as time=0 , uncertainty = uncertainty of volume of CO 2.

Therefore, uncertainty of volume of CO2 = percentage uncertainty of mass of calcium carbonate +

percentage uncertainty of volumetric flask + percentage uncertainty of graduated cylinder + percentage
uncertainty of gas syringe

Thus,Uncertainty of volume of CO2 =100%* [(0.01/0.2)+(0.1/100)+(0.5/25)] = 7.1%

Evaluation
Strength
Added the CaCO3 at the same time as putting the rubber bung to make and started the timer at the same
time to ensure the time interval is about the same and reduces error of gas leaking.

Lowered time interval so that measurements can be made before the reaction completes

Used volumetric flask to ensure that concentration is accurate.

Weakness
Had to repeat some trials multiple times (at least 5 times) because the time between putting HCl in,
attaching the delivery tube and starting the stopwatch was too long. Even then the time will still differ
slightly between trials, resulting in some trials losing more gas at the start of the reaction than others,
changing the volume of gas evolved per unit time, before the tube is attached.

Gas was not tested to see if the gas evolved was purely CO2. Should have passed through lime water and
observe that there is a color change from colorless to chalk.

Measuring cylinder was not dried after every wash with a paper towel so concentration was slightly lower
due to slight dilution by the water that was retained along the walls, altering results.

As I did not use my phone or a camera to observe the gas syringe, there is human error in observing the
volume of gas produced.

Sources of error

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Random error
CaCO3 might have some impurities as the natural sources of calcium carbonate may contain various
elemental impurities such as lead, arsenic, and mercury that are introduced from raw materials or
during the production of preparations.6 Due to that, this would affect the rate of reaction by making it
slower and giving unreliable results as different scoop of calcium carbonate contains different amount
of impurities. As this error is a type of random error, the only way to overcome this error is by
repeating it numerous times. For this practice I had repeated three times however, I would be able to
obtain a more accurate value if I had repeated more.

Human error, this includes reaction time, parallax and retention. As the experimenter is human, it is
impossible to start the timer at the exact moment when the reaction starts. Thus, this causes negligible
error in the experiment. Also, the angle at which the experimenter looks at the meniscus or the gas
syringe could alter the concentration and the final result. This leads to some inaccuracy within the
experiment. Lastly, when pouring the HCl solution into the conical flask for the reaction to occur, some
of the HCl solution might still remain in the graduated cylinder thus not all 25cm 3 of HCl was poured.
This makes the rate of reaction slightly slower as the total number of particles decreases. As this is a
random error, it can be reduced by repeating the experiment several times and finding the average.

The scatter pattern of calcium carbonate, as I poured the calcium carbonate into the conical flask before
HCl, the way calcium carbonate had spread across the conical flask may have altered the total surface
area of calcium carbonate that led to inconsistent rate of reaction. To remove this inconsistency, we can
repeat the experiment multiple times and obtain the average.

Gas leakage, as I did not put a plasticine on top of the rubber bung , the rubber bung was not air-tight
therefore, some of the gas could have leaked out and affect the volume of CO 2 gas produced. This is
another source of random error so it can be reduced by repeating the experiment several times.

Systematic error

Instrument precision, since the graduated cylinder is only precise up to whole numbers so it may be
slightly off, this changes the concentration slightly and alters the results as it might affect yield of gas
formed. To improve this we can use a pipette or burette instead of a graduated cylinder to more
accurately measure the volumes of water and HCl. So it would minimize the inaccuracy.

Retention of reactants in the measuring cylinder and weighing paper, hence this would cause inaccurate
volume and mass of reactant added to conical flask .This would make our results unreliable as it would
not be exactly 25.0 cm3 of HCl solutions and 0.2g of CaCO3.

During the experiment since Mg + HCl is an exothermic reaction, heat is given off and hence the
temperature of the conical flask would increase, thus also increasing the rate of reaction, as when
temperature increases the particles move faster and gain more kinetic energy and then move faster, thus
more particles have energy over activation energy. Hence resulting in more frequent successful
collisions, and furthermore, thus, increasing the rate of reaction. This would cause a change in rate of
reaction as the greater concentration of HCl (1.2 mol/dm 3) would produce more heat then the lower
concentration of HCl (0.4 mol/dm3 ), thus increasing the rate of reaction more for the greater
concentration, and thus making it an unfair test. In order to reduce this error, we can perform the

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 reaction under a water bath to maintain constant temperature.

Range of concentration is too small, this means that we are not certain whether the trend we found
using (concentrations between 1.2 mol/dm3 to 0.4mol/dm3) would follow the same trend for example
with higher concentrations such as 3.0 mol/dm3 to 4.0 mol/dm3 . To improve this, use a wider range of
concentrations, for example, from 0.4 mol/dm3 to 4.0 mol/dm3.

Safety and environmental conditions

Substance Hazard level Comment

Dilute hydrochloric acid of 2 Little to no hazard Dilute acid may still cause harm in the
mol dm-3 eyes or in a cut. Wear gloves and goggles
to prevent irritation.

Calcium carbonate Little to no hazard Do not ingest or place it near the eye. Wear
gloves and goggles to prevent irritation

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the results did support the hypothesis made, as the concentration of HCl solution increases,
the rate of volume of gas produced per 5 seconds increases and hence the rate of reaction increases, thus
in the graph drawn we can see that a higher concentration of HCL has a steeper gradient. Since the rate of
reaction is equal to the gradient of the graph we can say that as due to the gradient increasing when the
concentration increases (becomes steeper) the rate of reaction increases. This is because when the
concentration of HCl rises, there are now more particles per unit volume. This means that particles are
now closer together. Thus, they have a higher frequency of collision and thus the rate of effective and
successful collisions increases. Therefore, the rate of reaction between Mg and HCl increases. Hence, this
proves my hypothesis, ‘increase in concentration of a reactant will increase the rate at which the product
is produced'.

Further investigations
If given more resources and time, I would like to find out how different compound affect the rate of
reaction with HCl. This is because different compound have different reactivity. Hence, my hypothesis is
that the more reactivity the compound, the faster the rate of reaction.

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Bibliography
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2. https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/
06%3A_Modeling_Reaction_Kinetics/6.01%3A_Collision_Theory/
6.1.06%3A_The_Collision_Theory

3. https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/
02%3A_Reaction_Rates/2.05%3A_Reaction_Rate

4. https://alevelchemistry.co.uk/notes/rate-of-a-reaction/

5. https://quizlet.com/gb/495672031/maxwell-boltzmann-distribution-curves-flash-cards/

6. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.682798/full#:~:text=However%2C
%20the%20natural%20sources%20of,during%20the%20production%20of%20preparations.

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