Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Chemical Reaction Kinetics Lab

In this lab, we will be exploring the field of chemical kinetics by trying to answer one main question—how can we speed up a chemical reaction? In groups, you will brainstorm ways to increase the speed of a chemical reaction, then you will design an experiment to test your hypothesis. The experiment will have several stages:

  1. Question Formulation: Each group will pick a question to investigate. We will aim to not have more than two groups per class doing the same lab.
  2. Experimental Design: This will have several parts…
  3. Develop a hypothesis—This hypothesis is your answer to the question you posed
  4. Design a procedure—Figure out how exactly you want to test this idea
  5. List materials—know exactly what you need and exactly how much of each thing
  6. Get materials and procedure approved—the materials and procedure must be approved
  7. Make a data table—must be done before performing the lab
  8. Experiment and Data Collection: on Tuesday, February 13th, we will perform the experiments and you will collect all of your data
  9. Formal Lab Report: Each student will present their group’s findings in an individual written lab report. Your question, hypothesis, materials, procedure and data will be the same as your group members, and one copy will be turned in, but you should write your own background information, analysis, conclusion & suggestions sections and that will be turned in separately for each student. See guidelines on the back of this handout – Your rough draft lab report is due on Tuesday, February 27th and your Formal lab report is due Friday, March 9th, 2017

Here is a list of some of the materials that are available to you to do your experiment. More materials may be available if you request them. Goggles and aprons are always available.

  • Aluminum foil
  • Copper chloride solution, various concentrations
  • Solid copper chloride
  • Beakers
  • Erlenmeyer flasks
  • Graduated cylinders
  • Pipets
  • Funnels
  • Wash bottles
  • Test tubes
  • Scissors
  • Stirring rods
  • Hot plates
  • Ice
  • Magnetic stirring rods/plates
  • Electronic balance

A Note on Writing Your Procedure…

You want your procedure to be as detailed as possible. It needs to include information about all of the variables involved in your experiment. List how much you will use, temperatures, etc. Be careful about what your independent, dependent, and controlled variables are.

  • Independent variable: the variable you change in your experiment. You should only have 1.
  • Dependent variable: the variable you measure—changing the value of the independent variable should cause a change in the dependent variable.
  • Controlled variables: variables that are kept constant throughout your experiment. All variables that are not your independent variables should be controlled to the best of your ability.
  • Control Group: We will all do the same control group – 25 mL 0.1 M CuCl2, 0.3 grams Al, room temp

Variables you need to keep in mind when making your procedure: temperature, amount, concentration, etc.

Reaction Kinetics Formal Lab Report Rough Draft Due: Tues, Feb 27th Final Due: Fri, March 9th

General: All lab reports must be typed. Main text should be in 12 point font; titles, subtitles, and labels can be in 10, 12 or 14 point font. Text must be double-spaced. Do not use “I” or “We” in any part of your formal lab report, must be in 3rd person. “The research shows…” “This proves…” “To perform the experiment, measure…”

Title Page: Every report must have a title page which indicates the name of the lab project (short and precise; should accurately depict the experiment done), the author’s name, the name of the teacher, and the class should also be on this page. Large type fonts are appropriate here.

Purpose: This is where you identify the problem you are trying to solve. Tell us what you are attempting to discover through your research. Should be a question that you answer by doing the lab, 1-2 sentences total!

Example: “What happens if we mix sodium acetate and water?” It can also be more specific, “What will be faster, sugar dissolved in hot or cold water?”

Background Information and Bibliography: Every scientist gathers background information before he or she begins his or her research. Your background information will include lecture notes from your teacher, magazine, journal, internet articles, textbook chapters, and professionals heard in person, on TV, or on videotape. All sources of background information should be listed in an MLA formatted bibliography (use to help).

Hypothesis: This should be a statement indicating what you think the results of your investigation will be. Should answer your beginning sentences, and be an “If… then… because…” statement that is 1-2 sentences total.

Example: “If we dissolve sugar in hot water then it will dissolve more quickly than in cold water because the particles move faster.”

Materials: List the materials and equipment you used during the lab in a bullet format. Indicate the number of items used, the size of glassware used, and the amount of material used. This list should be complete enough so anyone else could use this list and duplicate the lab.

Procedure: This is an explanation of your experimental setup and the steps you followed in conducting your observations or experiment. Along with the numbered list of steps, illustrations may be used here to help provide a clearer understanding for the reader. This is where you should identify your control, independent, and dependent variables. Someone else should be able to repeat the experiment based on your steps.

Data Collection and Observations: This is the part of your lab report where all your raw data will be displayed in a data table. Make sure you use a ruler and your data table is appropriately labeled. There should also be room in this section where you record observations and comments about what happened during your investigations (can be included in the data table or written below the data table).

Sample Calculations: This only applies to some labs, if the lab does not have calculations, leave this section out! Should include one example with numbers and units from the lab of each type of calculation, using proper variables, units and set-up.

Analysis: This is the most important part of your report! If you were required to graph your results, it would be included in this part (with all important components of the graph). This should be written in paragraph format and explain what the data means: Was the hypothesis support or refuted, and why? If the hypothesis was not answered by the lab (neither supported nor contradicted), how could it be changed and re-tested?? Explain what happened in the lab—what caused your data/observations? Why did things unfold and proceed the way they did? Use any calculated numbers in the explanations. Explain how theory/what we learned in class applies to the lab—does your data agree with theory? Why or why not? Name 2-3 sources of ERROR from this lab. How do these errors affect your data/results? DO NOT use ‘I’ or ‘We’!! DO NOT say “this PROVES…”!! Please use complete sentences and proper grammar and formatting.

Conclusion: Should be 2-3 sentences that summarize the results of the lab and its implications (what do the results mean?) Explain whether the hypothesis was right or wrong and state why.

Suggestions for Further Investigation: Now that you have conducted the lab, reflect on what you, or another scientist, can do for a follow up set of experiments that would take the investigation to another level. Should include 2-3 “beginning question” style questions that stemmed from you experiment (can be “what if” style questions).