Investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

To investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction Background Information: Chemical reactions take place all the time at many different rates, some are incredibly fast like an explosion-where you get no time to see what's happening or like rusting which could take years before the iron is completely rusted. The rate of reaction is extremely important because you need to know how long before the end of the session or you may not get results in time. In living organisms it's vital that all the chemical reactions take place at the rates which supply the cells with the things they need exactly when they need them. Reaction rates are also important in the chemical industry as in any industrial process the ultimate purpose is to make money by producing useful products. In the chemical industry this means it's important to make as much of the desired product as cheaply as possible which means that the rate of reaction must be fast enough to make as much of the product as quickly as possible without risking overheating or explosions and without costing too much! How money hungry are we eh? Successful chemistry, whether microscopic or at a chemical plant, depends on controlling the rate of the ongoing reactions. In order to understand what affects the rate of chemical reactions and how we can control them we need to measure the rate of the reaction. The two ways to do this are measuring how quickly the reactants are used up or we can observe how quickly products are formed. Once we have a measurement for the reaction under one set of conditions, we can change them and make comparisons of the changing reaction rate under different conditions. There are 3 ways to measure the rate of reaction. We can measure a change in mass, if the reaction involves a gas being given off. The mass disappearing can easily be measured and recorded over a period of time. Another way to see is by measuring the rate of precipitation. When an insoluble solid forms as a solid in solution, the solution will gradually become more and more opaque. Paper with a mark on it can be used and the time taken for the mark to become invisible can be recorded. Another way to measure the precipitation rate is to use a light meter and data logger to record the amount of light transmitted. Finally, the last way is to measure the volume of gas given off; using a syringe but this can only be used when a gas is given off. The rate of reaction depends on four things: temperature increases the