Elizabeth Conway

Chemistry 1241
Experiment 8
Lab Report

The Rate of Reaction of Iodide Ion with Hydrogen Peroxide:

Chemical Kinetics Via A “Clock” Reaction

Introduction: This lab determined the empirical rate law for the reaction between iodide

ions and hydrogen peroxide, and the dependence of the rate constant k on temperature

and the presence of a catalyst. As the rate law must be determined experimentally rather

than calculated, experiments were done and the data collected. The experiment depended

on one principal- that thiosulfate ions react very rapidly with iodine. This means that in a

system where there are two reactions happening simultaneously, namely that hydrogen

peroxide reacts slowly with iodide and protons to form iodine and water; and thiosulfate

ions react quickly with iodine, consuming it and producing iodide and S4O6-. This means

that iodine produced is consumed almost immediately and does not become visible until

all the thiosulfate is gone, at which point the iodine becomes apparent in the form of the

solution suddenly turning blue. As the initial thiosulfate ion concentration is known, the

decrease in hydrogen peroxide concentration can be found in terms of the time the

reaction took to complete. By varying the initial concentrations of reactants; the

temperature; and the presence of a catalyst, the rate law was found and conclusions were

drawn about the effects of temperature and the presence of a catalyst on rates.

Results:

Tinitial Time

experiment [H2O2] [I-] [H+] [S2O3-] (C) Tinitial (K) (s)

1 0.022 0.01 1.8*10^-5 0.001 24.1 297.25 205.1
2 0.011 0.01 1.8*10^-5 0.001 23.9 297.05 375.64
3 0.022 0.02 1.8*10^-5 0.001 23.8 296.95 118
4 0.022 0.01 1.8*10^-4 0.001 23.8 296.95 199
5 0.022 0.01 1.8*10^-5 0.001 51.4 324.55 34.5
6 0.022 0.01 1.8*10^-5 0.001 9.4 282.55 605
7 0.022 0.01 1.8*10^-5 0.001 24.3 297.45 25
 Tfinal Tfinal

experiment Rate (M/s) (C) (K)

1 2.43784E-06 23.9 297.05
2 1.33106E-06 23.2 296.35
3 4.23729E-06 23.8 296.95
4 2.51256E-06 23.8 296.95
5 1.44928E-05 49.5 322.65
6 8.26446E-07 13.1 286.25
7 0.00002 24.3 297.45

Average rate: 2.630E-06

Rate=k[H2O2]x*[I-]y*[H+]z

Rate in experiment #2: almost twice as slow as in experiment #1, therefore x=+1 or +2.

Rate in experiment #3: almost twice as fast as in experiment #1, therefore y=+1 or +2.

Rate in experiment #4: no significant difference in rate from experiment #1, therefore z=0.

Since z=0, Rate= k[H2O2]x *[I-]y

Rate (experiment 2) = [H2O2]x2*[I-]y2 / Rate (experiment 1) = [H2O2]x1*[I-]y1

= (approximately ½)x, therefore x=+1

Rate (experiment 3) = [H2O2]x3*[I-]y3 / Rate (experiment 1) = [H2O2]x1*[I-]y1

= (approximately 2)y, therefore y=ln(2), and y= approximately +1.

So, Rate=k[H2O2]1*[I-]1*[H+]0 or Rate=k[H2O2][I-]

Knowing k=Ae-Ea/RT, ln(k) = ln(A) – Ea/RT. Average rate = k.

And in an equation for a line y=mx+b, ln(k)=y, ln(A)=b and –Ea/RT=mx.

 0
-20.003 0.0031 0.0032 0.0033 0.0034 0.0035 0.0036

-4
y = -6229.1x + 8.0689
-6
R2 = 0.9992
ln(k)

-8
-10

-12
-14
-16
1/T

As y=-6229x+8.609, ln(A)= 8.069, so A= 3194n/Lsec. From the slope, Ea=51760joules-

mole. At room temperature, ([S2O3]/2)/ [H2O2] = .02273, or about 2.272 percent of the H2O2

reacts, or takes part in collisions with energy greater than Ea.

The value of k from experiment 7 was 0.0909n/Lsec. It is about ten times greater than

those for experiments 1-4, so catalysts have large increasing effects on rates. With this

catalyst, the Ea becomes 25870 joules-mole, about half of the original value.

Discussion:

This lab