The Rate Of Reaction Between marble Chips and Hydrochloric Acid.

Introduction

We are going to do an experiment to see how surface area effects the rate of reaction when added to hydrochloric acid. I will add calcium carbonate (marble chips) to hydrochloric acid.

When calcium carbonate is added to hydrochloric acid a reaction takes place. The solution fizzes and gives off the gas carbon dioxide. I will collect this gas in a gas syringe and will time how long it takes for the reaction to produce 100cm3 of carbon dioxide.

CaCO3 +2HCL Co2 +CaCl2 +H2O

CalciumHydrochloricCarbonCalciumWater

CarbonateAcidDioxideChloride

Prediction

I predict that when the small marble chips are added to the hydrochloric acid the rate of reaction will be faster and therefore will result in more gas (carbon dioxide) being given off. This is because the small marble chips have a larger surface area. When the large marble chips are added to the hydrochloric acid the rate of reaction will be slower resulting in less gas being produced. This is because the large marble chips have a smaller surface area. This means that it will be quicker with the smaller marble chips to produce 100cm3 of carbon dioxide.

This is all due to the collision theory which states that for a chemical reaction to happen the reactants must first collide with each other. However, just colliding is not enough. For a reaction to take place, the reactants must collide with enough energy. If more surface area is available, the number of particles of the solid reactant available will increase. If more collisions occur, it is likely that there will be more collisions with sufficient energy to successfully lead to a reaction.

When the marble cube is split up, more of its surface area can react with the acid.

Temperature also effects the rate of reaction because at a higher temperature, the...