Stop Saving Trees

Essay by seanchangHigh School, 10th gradeA, November 2014

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Nam: Sean CHANG HG: 10.07

Reaction Rate - Different Acids reacting on Sodium Carbonate.

Abstract

In this experiment, sodium carbonate was used to measure the reaction rate of different acids. Applying 20ml of acids into a flask and timing it for 30 seconds will show the displacement of the water. The displacement of water was found and recorded. It was observed that hydrochloric acid had a greater reaction. This measuring technique shows that inorganic acid is stronger that organic acid in terms of reacting against sodium carbonate.

Introduction

The rate of reaction is the process that involves changes in structure and energy content in atoms, molecule or ions (Classic Chemistry Experiments, 2014). Thus, the reactant of a chemical reaction forms the product. There is another theory that involves in the rate of reaction. This theory is the collision theory. For a chemical reaction to occur, the reactant particles must collide.

The particles must have enough energy for the collision to be successful in producing a reaction. The rate of reaction depends on the rate of successful collision between reactant particles (Classic Chemistry Experiments, 2014). The more successful collision there are, the faster the rate of reaction. There are many various factors that can affect the reaction rate, such as the change in temperature, more concentration reactants, larger surface area etc. (Factors Affecting Reaction Rates, 2014). Rate cannot be directly measured, so instead measuring the reactant or volume of gaseous product as the reaction progresses.

In this investigation, hydrochloric acid and sodium carbonate were used. Hydrochloric acid is a colourless and odourless solution of hydrogen chloride and water (EPA, 2014). Similar to hydrochloric acid, acetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3COOH. This acid is often found in vinegar with roughly 4%-8% acetic acid by volume (Newton, 2005).