Title The effect of surface area on the rate of reaction of magnesium and hydrochloric acid Research Question How

can the surface area affect the rate of reaction of magnesium and hydrochloric acid? Hypothesis In a chemical reaction, there are a few factors that affect the rate of reaction such as temperature, concentration of reactant, and surface area of reactant. These factors will increase or decrease the rate of reaction. The hypothesis that can be derived is that the higher the surface area of reactant the rate of reaction will increase. Variable Independent variable : types of magnesium (magnesium strips and magnesium powder). Dependent variable : rate of reaction. Constant variable : temperature, concentration of hydrochloric acid and volume of hydrochloric acid. Apparatus 1 conical flask, 1 stopper, 1 connecting tube, 1 burette, 1 basin, 1 retort stands, 1 stopwatch, 1 digital weighing machine, 1 measuring cylinder Materials 0.02 M hydrochloric acid, magnesium strips, powder strips, distilled water, water Methodology 1. Prepare the apparatus according to diagram A. 2. Prepare 100 cm3 of 0.2 M hydrochloric acid by mixing 10 cm3 of 2 M hydrochloric acid with 90 cm3 of distilled water. 3. Fill the conical flask with 50 cm3 of 0.2 M hydrochloric acid. 4. Weight up 0.2 g of magnesium strips. 5. Put that magnesium strips into the conical flask which contains 50 cm3 of 0.2 M hydrochloric acid. 6. Immediately close the conical flask with stopper and start stopwatch. 7. Record the volume of gas in burette in every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. 8. Tabulate the reading obtained from the reaction. 9. Repeat the experiment by using 0.2 g magnesium powder. 10. Plot a graph for both experiments. 11. Calculate the rate of reaction for both experiments from its respective graph. Compare which reactions have higher rate of reaction.

Data Collection Table for reaction of magnesium strips with hydrochloric acid Mass of magnesium strips Initial volume of water in burette
Time (s) / 0.5 seconds Reading of burette (volume of water) (cm3) / 0.08 cm3 Volume of H2 gas in burette (cm3) / 0.16 cm3

= 0.2063 0.0001 g = 48.40 0.08 cm3 90 45. 4 3.0 120 43. 6 4.8 150 41. 8 6.6 180 39. 3 9.1 210 38. 2 10. 2 240 35. 9 12. 5 270 33. 9 14. 5 300 31.5

0 48. 4 0

30 47. 6 0.8

60 46. 4 2.0

16.9

Table for reaction of magnesium powder with hydrochloric acid Mass of magnesium powder Initial volume of water in burette
Time (s) / 0.5 seconds Reading of burette (volume of water) (cm3) / 0.08 cm3 Volume of H2 gas in burette (cm3) / 0.16 cm3

= 0.2097 0.0001 g = 49.90 0.08 cm3 90 42. 5 7.4 120 36. 8 13. 1 150 30. 6 19. 3 180 29. 1 20. 8 210 23. 7 26. 2 240 18. 4 31. 5 270 14. 1 35. 8 300 10.2

0 49. 9 0

30 48. 1 1.8

60 45. 5 4.4

39.7

Data Processing and Presentation Volume of hydrogen gas can be calculated using this formula, Volume of H2 gas in burette (cm3) after every 30 seconds

= Initial volume of water in burette Reading of burette (volume of water) (cm3) after every 30 seconds. Calculation: Reaction of magnesium strips with hydrochloric acid, Mass of magnesium strips = 0.2063 0.0001 g Percentage of uncertainty = (0.0001 0.2063) 100 = 0.048 % Initial volume of water in burette = 48.40 0.08 cm3 Percentage of uncertainty = (0.08 48.40) 100 = 0.17 % Reaction of magnesium powder with hydrochloric acid, Mass of magnesium powder = 0.2097 0.0001 g Percentage of uncertainty = (0.0001 0.2097) 100 = 0.048 % Initial volume of water in burette = 49.90 0.08 cm3 Percentage of uncertainty = (0.08 49.90) 100 = 0.16 % Rate of reaction for (from the graph), Reaction of magnesium strips with hydrochloric acid = (9 0) (180 0) = 0.050 cm3 s-1 Reaction of magnesium powder with hydrochloric acid = (26 0) (230 0) = 0.113 cm3 s-1 From the calculation above, reaction of magnesium powder with hydrochloric acid has higher rate of reaction than reaction of magnesium strips with hydrochloric acid. For magnesium strips, 1only the particles on the surface can come into contact with a surrounding reactant. Meanwhile, for magnesium powder, the surface area is higher as the number of particles on the surface that can react with a surrounding reactant increases because it is in form of powder. Thus, the rate of reaction also increases which is higher than magnesium strips. Conclusion According to the results obtained from this experiment, magnesium powder has higher rate of reaction (0.113 cm3 s-1) than magnesium strips (0.050 cm3 s-1) because magnesium powder has higher surface area than magnesium strips. Thus, the hypothesis is accepted. Evaluation 1. There are several precaution matters while doing the experiment: While diluting 2 M hydrochloric acid to 0.2 M hydrochloric acid, students should handle it carefully to avoid any unnecessary incidents such as acid hydrochloric contacts with students skin. After putting magnesium strips or powder into conical flask which contains 0.2 hydrochloric acid, students should close it with the stopper immediately to prevent hydrogen gas produced inside it escape.

Geoff Neuss. IB Study Guide CHEMISTRY for the IB Diploma STANDARD AND HIGHER LEVEL. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. (p. 38)

Before starting the experiment, make sure that there are no air bubbles trapped inside the connecting tube because it might result in inaccurate reading for burette. 2. Weaknesses of data analysis From the graph obtained from the experiment, the rate of reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid calculated from it was slightly not accurate because the amount of data collected from the experiment was little. So, the graph produced was not suitable to calculate the rate of reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid. Suggestion: More data should be collected by increasing the length of time for each experiment from 5 minutes to 10 minutes. So, more data could be gathered to produce better graph for better data analysis. 3. Limitation of methodology In the methodology, the way to hold burette using retort stand was inappropriate because it prevent student to take the reading from burette where the hand of retort stand covered a part of the scale of the burette (see diagram below).

Suggestion: The way to hold the burette should be changed so that it would not interfere while taking the reading from it (see diagram below).