Investigating the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, Lab Reports of Chemistry

Download Investigating the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and more Lab Reports Chemistry in PDF only on Docsity! 109 Investigating the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide Background Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to produce oxygen gas and water. The reaction can be catalysed by yeast. 2H202(aq)  O 2(g) +2H2O(l) One way of measuring the rate is to time how long it takes for a disc of filter paper to rise a specific distance in a test tube containing hydrogen peroxide solution. Practical Techniques You will need to find out about how to make up accurate solutions. Where to start Plan an experiment to investigate the effect of changing the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide and the yeast on the rate of the reaction. Possible Investigations • Investigate the reaction at different temperatures to determine the effect of temperature on the rate and hence determine the activation enthalpy for the reaction. • Investigate the effect of other potential catalysts. • Investigate the effect of pH on the reaction. • Investigate a different technique for monitoring the rate of the reaction – possibilities are – titration, measurement of oxygen production Sources of Information • Woods G., Hydrogen Peroxide, Chemistry Review, September 1996 • Denby D., Decomposing Hydrogen Peroxide, Chemistry Review, (early issue –exact date unknown) 110 • Lindsey D., Measuring pH. Chemistry Review, September 1998 • Thorpe A., Making a standard solution, Chemistry Review, November 2002 • http://users.erols.com/merosen/kinetics.htm • Thorpe A, Assessing the risks in practical work, Chemistry Review, September 2000 • Thorpe A., Experimental error and error analysis: just how good are those results, Chemistry Review, November 2001