The purpose of this experiment was to determine how the rate of the catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is affected by concentration and temperature. In Part 1, the volume of oxygen gas was measured to determine the rate law of hydrogen peroxide. The volume of oxygen gas was measured because it is a physical property that is more easily observable, making the reaction easier to record and calculate. The reaction is second order, this can be determined because the sum of the exponents is 1+1= 2. The rate law indicates that the reaction is first order with respect to H2O2 and first order with respect to I-. Addition of a catalyst: H2O2 (aq) + I- (aq) → H2O (l) + OI- (aq) H2O2 (aq) + OI- (aq)→H2O (l) + O2 (g) + I- (aq) 2H2O2 (aq) → 2H2O (l) + O2 (g) rate = k[H2O2][I-] …show more content…
Since temperature if a factor that affects the rate of the reaction, it could have slowed it down. Part 2 demonstrated how an increase in temperature also speeds up the reaction. This is due to the fact that the increase in temperature increases the average kinetic energy of the reactant molecules, which in turn increases the collision frequency. The increase in temperature sped the rate of the reaction from 0.0363 mL/s at 23oC to 0.062 mL/s at 37oC, meaning the rate of the reaction almost doubled with an increase in