The Effect of Temperature on the Reaction Rate of an Alka-Seltzer Tablet Dropped in Water. Nehemiah Hylton Reaction Rate Lab conducted by Nehemiah Hylton and Sage Deham. Lab Conduction Date: 3/15/2024. Publication Date: 3/29/2024. Abstract: This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of temperature on the reaction rate of an alka-seltzer tablet dropped in water. The effects were determined by using half of an Alka-seltzer tablet (1.41g) and dropping it in a beaker filled with 100 mL of water. We conducted this experiment five times, raising the water temperature by 10°C each time. The starting reaction rate was 0.0176 g/s, and the ending reaction rate was 0.1032 g/s. The lab was successful with an R2 value of 0.9726. …show more content…
Dependent Variable The dependent variable is the reaction rate. Controlled Variables Table 1: Controlled Variables of the Reaction Rate Lab. Controlled Variable Measurement Room Temperature 26.02°C Pressure 29.07 in Hg Concentration of Alka-seltzer tablet in water 0.0141 g/mL Surface Area of 12 Alka-Seltzer Tablet 12.92 cm2 Mass of Alka-Seltzer Tablet 1.41 …show more content…
In the lab, it is assumed that the surface area is the same for every tablet during the experiment, however, it is a faulty assumption because the surface area can change very easily between trials. The experiment was conducted assuming the surface area of the Akla-Seltzer tablets was identical. If the surface areas of the Alka-Seltzer tablets are not equal, then the surface area is no longer a controlled variable. Surface area is one of the 6 factors that can affect the rate of reaction (same as temperature). If the surface area is no longer a controlled variable, this experiment is now measuring the effect of temperature and surface area on the reaction rate, rather than just measuring the temperature. This is because varying surface areas create varying amounts of Alka-Seltzer tablet particles colliding with the water molecules from trial to trial, leading to a reaction rate affected by temperature and surface area. To fix uneven surface areas, Alka-Seltzer tablets can be crushed into a fine powder and put through a sift to create a powder of equal size. The powder can then be weighed into equal parts so the surface area and weight are controlled variables. The use of tap water allowed the alka-selter tablet to collide with more than H2O particles (such