Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL

Candidate Number: 00213-021

Date: August 28, 2010
How will changing the temperature affect the rate of sulfur formation
measured using a stopwatch.
Aim

To investigate the relationship between temperature and the rate of sulfur formation or the
rate of disappearance.

Introduction

The sulfur formation equation is the following:

Na2S2O3 + 2HCl 2NaCl + H20 + S + SO2

The rate of sulfur formation is affected by the following:

a) Concentration As the concentration increases, the particles within a given space will
also increase, hence leading to more particles colliding with each other, which allows
the rate of formation to increase.1

b) Temperature As it can be seen on figure 1, the temperature increases, the average

kinetic energy of the particles increases, which allows more particles to have a greater
energy than the activation energy. Therefore, by increasing temperature, the rate of
formation also increases. In addition, by increasing the temperature, the collision per
time unit increases, which makes the rate of reaction faster. But, it is important to
note that this is a minor factor as the increase in kinetic energy is the main reason
why the rate of reaction increases.

Figure 1: Maxwell Boltzmann Distribution2

1
Clark, Jim. "The effect of concentration on reaction rates." Chemguide. 2002. Chemguide. 28 Aug 2010
<http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/concentration.html>.
2
"Maxwell Boltzmann Distribution." Webchem. 01 Feb 2005. WebChem. 28 Aug 2010
<http://www.webchem.net/notes/how_far/kinetics/maxwell_boltzmann.htm>.
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Variables
Variable Measured Method of measuring / controlling the
variable

Amount of sodium thiosulphate 10cm3 of sodium thiosulphate is used in

solution each trial. It is accurately measured through
a 10cm3 pipette.
Concentration of sodium thiosulphate 1M of sodium thiosulphate is used in each
solution trial.
Amount of hydrochloric acid solution 10cm3 of hydrochloric acid is used in each
trial. It is accurately measured through a
10cm3 pipette.
Controlled Room temperature All trials are experimented in room
Variables temperature which is approximately 28
Concentration of hydrochloric acid 1M of hydrochloric acid is used in each
solution trial.
Temperature of hydrochloric acid The temperature of hydrochloric acid is
solution kept constant by conducting the experiment
at room temperature (approximately
24.5) for each trial.
Size of conical flask 125cm3 conical flask is used for each trial
as the size of conical flask can affect the
rate of formation if not constant. A small
conical flask is preferred as it can take a
long time for a large conical flask to change
colour.
Independent Temperature of sodium thiosulphate The temperature of the sodium thiosulphate
Variables solution solution is 14.5, 24.5 (room
temperature), 34.5, 44.5, 54.5. the
24.5 sodium thiosulphate solution is
created by putting the room temperature
sodium thiosulphate solution into a
refrigerator and the solutions above the
room temperature is processed by using a
water bath. All temperature is measuring
using a temperature probe
Time taken for sulfur formation The time is taken for the sodium
(change of color over period of time) thiosulphate solution to change its color
from transparent to a pale yellow color
using a stop-watch. To make the experiment
more accurate, an X is drawn and the time
Dependent
for the X to disappear (due to the color
Variables change) is measured.

Rate of sulfur formation The rate of sulfur formation would be

calculated by taking the reciprocal of the
time taken for sulfur formation.
Table 1: List of Variables
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Hypothesis

The sulfur formation equation is the following:

Na2S2O3 + 2HCl 2NaCl + H20 + S + SO2

The rate of sulfur formation is determined by the different variables of concentration and
temperature. However, as it can be seen on table 1, the concentration of sodium thiosulphate
and the concentration and the temperature of hydrochloric acid solution are listed as
controlled variables. Hence by changing the temperature of the sodium thiosulphate solution,
the rate of sulfur formation would change.

As explained in the introduction, the rate of sulfur formation would increase if the
temperature of the sodium thiosulphate increases. This is because of the fact that when the
temperature increases, the average kinetic energy of the particles of the sodium thiosulphate
is also increased. Hence it would allow more particles to collide with greater energy then the
activation energy, which leads to the increase of rate of sulfur formation. Furthermore, by
increasing the temperature, the collision of particles per time unit would also increase, which
makes the rate of reaction faster. However, it is important to note that this accounts for as a
minor factor as the increase in average kinetic energy is the main reason for the increase in
the sulfur formation reaction.

Also, when observing the Arrhenius Equation, it is possible to predict the trend of the rate of
sulfur formation against temperature. The following equation displays the Arrhenius
Equation3:

k=Ae(-Ea/R*T)
Where:
k = the rate coefficient
A = a constant
Ea = the activation energy
R = the universal gas constant
T = temperature (in Kelvin)

When observing this equation and relating it to the experiment; the only variable that changes
is the T or the temperature in Kelvin. Hence, as the temperature of the sodium thiosulphate
solution increases, the rate of formation of sulfur should also increase, allowing the graph to
have a positive correlation. And when looking at the Arrhenius Equation, as the temperature
increase, the constant rate should increase exponentially allowing the rate of sulfur formation
to also increase exponentially.

*It is important to note that the Arrhenius Equation is a calculation for the rate constant, not
the actual rate of the reaction itself. However, since the concentration of the solutions in the
experiment is kept constant, when looking at the rate equation below, the rate constant would
directly affect the reaction rate

3
"Arrhenius equation." Wikipedia. 20 Dec 2010. Chemguide. 29 Aug 2010
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrhenius_equation>
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Rate = k [A]x[B]y
Where:
k = rate constant
A = concentration of solution A
x = order of solution A
B = concentration of solution B
y = order of solution B

As such, the hypothesis for this experiment is that as the temperature of the sodium thiosulphate
solution increases, the rate of sulfur formation should increase exponentially.

Rate of sulfur formation, r/s-1 against

Temperature, t/ of Na2S2O3 solution
Rate of sulfur formation, s-1

Temperature,

Figure 2: graph showing the hypothesized relation of reaction rate against temperature
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Apparatus

- Logger Pro
- Temperature probe
- Sodium thiosulphate solution (Na2S2O3)
- Hydrochloric solution (HCl)
- 10.0cm3 pipette (0.05)cm3
- 125.00 cm3 conical flask (6.25)cm3
- Stopwatch
- Paper
- Pen
- Water bath
- Electronic weighing machine ( 0.001g)
-
Procedure

Preparation of making 1M of Na2S2O3 solution

1. Measure 79.05g of sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3) using an electric weighing machine.

2. Measure 500cm3 of distilled water using a conical flask and put the 79.05g of Na2S2O3 inside
it
3. Stir well until all the Na2S2O3 is completely dissolved.

Preparation of making 1M of HCl solution

1. Measure 18.23g of hydrochloric acid (HCl) using an electric weighing machine.

2. Measure 500cm3 of distilled water using a conical flask and put the 18.23g of HCl inside it
3. Stir well until all the HCl is completely dissolved.

Preparation of 14.5 and 24.5 Na2S2O3 solution

1. Put 10cm3 of 1.0M Na2S2O3 solution into a 125cm3 conical flask using a 10cm3 pipette
2. Place the conical flask into the refrigerator and wait for approximately 10 minutes
3. Take the conical flask out and measure the temperature of the Na2S2O3 solution using a
temperature probe (should be lower than 14.5, if not put it back into the refrigerator and
wait until it is lower than 14.5)
4. Put a temperature probe inside the Na2S2O3 solution (make sure the temperature probe does
not touch the conical flask) and wait until the temperature goes up to 14.5
5. Measure the rate of sulfur formation straight away (as the temperature of the solution would
increase because it is lower than the room temperature)
6. Repeat step 1 in order to make the 24.5 Na2S2O3 solution

Preparation of 34.5, 44.5, 54.5of Na2S2O3 solution

1. Put 10cm3 of 1.0M Na2S2O3 solution into a 125cm3 conical flask using a 10cm3
pipette
2. Place the conical flask in a water bath with a temperature probe in the solution (make
sure the temperature probe doesnt touch the conical flask
3. Measure the temperature of the 1.0M Na2S2O3 solution using the temperature probe
4. When the temperature reaches 34.5 remove the conical flask from the water bath
and measure the rate of sulfur formation straight away (as the temperature of the
solution would decrease because it is higher than the room temperature)
5. Repeat steps 1-4 in order to prepare 44.5 and 54.5 Na2S2O3 solution
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010

Figure 3: for preparation of 34.5, 44.5, 54.5of Na2S2O3 solution

Measurement of the rate of sulfur formation

1. Draw a X mark with a pen on a white piece of paper
2. Put the conical flask with 24.5 Na2S2O3 solution on top of the X mark.
3. Put 10cm3 of 1.0M of HCl using a 10cm3 pipette
4. Measure the time starting from the beginning of the input of the 1.0 HCl solution
until the X mark is not visible due to sulfur formation (colour change from
transparent to a cloudy yellowish colour)
5. Repeat steps 2-4 three times for triplicate data
6. Repeat steps 2-5 with 14.5, 34.5, 44.5and 54.5 Na2S2O3 solution

Figure 4: Side view of the diagram of the process of measuring the rate of sulfur formation

Figure 5: Top view of the diagram of the process of measuring the rate of sulfur formation
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Data Collection

Quantitative Data

Temperature of Time taken for sulfur formation, t/s

Na2S2O3 solution, (0.01s)
temp/ Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
(0.1)
14.5 23.68 22.80 23.35
24.5 16.65 15.41 15.78
34.5 12.98 13.30 12.06
44.5 10.60 9.02 9.52
54.5 6.40 6.01 6.27
Table 2: Time taken for sulfur formation for different temperatures

Qualitative Data

Temperature of
Na2S2O3 solution,
temp/ Before the input of HCl solution
(0.1)
14.5 - Solution is colourless
- No reaction occurred
24.5 - Solution is colourless
- No reaction occurred
34.5 - Solution is colourless
- No reaction occurred
44.5 - Solution is colourless
- No reaction occurred
54.5 - Solution is colourless
- No reaction occurred
Table 3: Observations of the change of solution after the input of HCl solution
Observations
After the input of HCl solution
- Solution became a pale yellow
colour
- Reaction occurred as sulfur
formation was visible
- Solution became a pale yellow
colour
- Reaction occurred as sulfur
formation was visible
- Solution became a pale yellow
colour
- Reaction occurred as sulfur
formation was visible
- Solution became a pale yellow
colour
- Reaction occurred as sulfur
formation was visible
- Solution became a pale yellow
colour
- Reaction occurred as sulfur
formation was visible
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Data Processing

The average time taken for sulfur formation of the three trials was calculated by the following
equation:

Temperature of Average time taken

Na2S2O3 solution, Calculation for sulfur formation,
temp/ t/s
(0.1) (s s.d4)
14.5 23.28 0.36
23.28
24.5 15.95 0.52
15.95
34.5 12.78 0.53
12.78
44.5 9.71 0.66
9.71
54.5 6.23 0.16
6.23
Table 4: Calculation of average time taken for sulfur formation

Temperature of Na2S2O3 Average time taken for sulfur Rate of sulfur formation,
solution, temp/ formation, t/s -1
(0.1) (s s.d)
14.5 23.28 0.36 0.04296
24.5 15.95 0.52 0.06270
34.5 12.78 0.53 0.07825
44.5 9.71 0.66 0.1030
54.5 6.23 0.16 0.1605
Table 5: Rate of sulfur formation for different temperatures of Na2S2O3 solution

4
s.d - Abbreviated form of Standard Deviation
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010

Time taken for sulfur formation, t/s against Temperature, temp/ of

Na2S2O3 solution
25
Time taken for sulfur formation, s

20
y = 36.39e-0.031x
R = 0.9868

15

10

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Temperature,

Figure 6: Graph showing the average time taken for sulfur formation for five different temperatures
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010

Rate of sulfur formation, r/s-1 against Temperature, temp/ of

Na2S2O3 solution
0.18

0.16

0.14
Rate of sulfur formation, s-1

0.12
y = 0.0275e0.0313x
0.1 R = 0.9868

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Temperature,

Figure 7: Graph showing the average rate of sulfur formation against different temperature variables
Candidate Name: Tony Hong (Seung Mo Hong) IB Chemistry HL
Candidate Number: 00213-021
Date: August 28, 2010
Conclusion

The relationship between the average time taken for sulfur formation for five different temperature
can be seen in figure 6. It may seem as if it decreases linearly. However, the reason why I chose to
show a exponential decrease is because when looking on table 5 (which shows the exact relationship
between the average time taken for sulfur formation and the five different temperature of sodium
thiosulphate solution), although the difference of the values for the average time taken for sulfur
formation of 24.5 34.5, 34.5 44.5, 44.5 55.5 are approximately 3, the
difference between 14.5 24.5, is 7.33. Hence, the difference value of 7.33 compared to
3 is too big of a gap to take a linear relationship into consideration. Furthermore, although on
figure 6, the data points do not perfectly fit the exponential decrease, when taking the error bars into
consideration, I believe that the exponential decrease does relatively fit the data well. In addition,
when looking at figure 7, although it may fit a linear regression, since the data are the inverse values
-1
of the data on figure 6 as the equation of rate of sulfur formation is (exact
relationship can be viewed on table 5); an exponential increase would definitely fit bitter. As such
the hypothesis is accepted.

Evaluation

The overall random error of the experiment is relatively low as there are only the small uncertainties
of the temperature probe and the 10cm3 pipette. However, I believe that there are a lot of systematic
errors involving human error and hence leading to a high uncertainty. Thus, I believe that the data
collected from the experiment is not as reliable because of the uncertainties caused by human errors
and systematic errors. Here are some of the weaknesses of the human/systematic errors in this
experiment and the ways to improve them:

Weaknesses Improvements
The temperature would have changed from its
Could have run each experiments in different
initial temperature as all experiments were run in
atmosphere (with different temperatures) so that
room temperature. Hence the sodium the change of initial temperature is altered in a
thiosulphate solution would have either great amount.
cooled down or heated up while running the
experiment leading to a high uncertainty.
Human error of the stop watch Since the time Use a reliable mechanic method where the time is
of the sulfur formation was recorded by a measured by a machine rather than humans, so
stopwatch where a human stops the stopwatch that it would reduce the human error and allow
relying on his sight; it would lead to a big more accurate data.
uncertainty.
The drawing of the X. Each drawing of the X had Should have used a printed X Mark where all the
different thickness and darkness. Hence when darkness would have been the same as the
stopping the time for the complete sulfur computer would have drawn it. It would have
formation (when the X mark was no longer reduced the human error.
visible) it would have ass been different as the
dissimilar darkness would have caused me to
have different standard of darkness of the
sodium thiosulphate solution and hence lead
to great uncertainty.