Reaction Rate Virtual Lab

Factors Affecting Reaction Rates: Temperature

Procedure Part 1:

1. Click on the link to go to the virtual lab website.

2. Click on the cupboard (cabinet) to open it. Click on each item in the cupboard to bring it to the
lab table. Close the cupboard.

3.

Click and drag the thermometer into the beaker of water. Record the temperature on the Data
Table. (click on the clip board)

4. Click and drag the pink antacid tablet to the beaker of water. As soon as it is dropped in, click
“START” on the timer. Wait for the reaction to stop bubbling and record this time in the data
table.

5. Click “RESET” in the lower right corner to reset all lab equipment. You will now begin with fresh
water and a new antacid tablet.

6. Drop the ice cubes into the water. Place the thermometer in the water, and record the
temperature of the cooler water in the data table.

7. Drop the antacid tablet into the water and record the reaction time in the data table.

8. Click “RESET” to reset the lab equipment again.

9. Now you will conduct the reaction using the hot plate. You will need to do four more trials.
Click on one of the numbers on the knob on the hot plate, and it will heat the water. Using the
thermometer, record the temperature in the data table. You may choose any four settings that you
would like -- just make sure that they are different from each other.

10. Drop the antacid tablet into the water and record the reaction time.
11. Once you have completed the data table, click “COMPARE RESULTS”. Click “PRINT”, but save
your results to your desktop. You will submit this file to the dropbox in your course.

Factors Affecting Reaction Rates: Particle Size

Procedure Part 2:

1. Click on the link to go to the virtual lab website.

2. Click on the cupboard (cabinet) to open it. Click on each item in the cupboard to bring it to the
lab table. You will only be able to bring one sample of zinc out at a time. Close the cupboard.

3.

Click and drag the sample of zinc to the beaker of sulfuric acid (H 2SO4). As soon as it is dropped in,
click “START” on the timer. Wait for the reaction to stop bubbling and record this time in the data
table. Make sure that you record the time in the appropriate row of the data table. The dish of
zinc has a label to identify the size of the particles.

4. Click “RESET” in the lower right corner to reset all lab equipment. You will now begin with fresh
sample of acid. Grab a new sample of zinc from the cabinet.

5. Drop the zinc sample into the acid and record the reaction time in the data table.

6. Click “RESET” to reset the lab equipment again. Grab another sample of zinc.

7. Continue the experiment until you have tested each sample size of zinc.

8. Record the reaction times of each reaction in the data table.

9. Once you have completed the data table, click “COMPARE RESULTS”. Click “PRINT”, but save
your results to your desktop. You will submit this file to the dropbox in your course.

Factors Affecting Reaction Rates: Concentration

Procedure Part 3:
1. Click on the link to go to the virtual lab website.
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/secsu/html/matter_and_chemical_change/Concentration/inde
x.html

2. Click on the cupboard (cabinet) to open it. Click on each item in the cupboard to bring it to the
lab table. Close the cupboard.

3. You will be conducting 6 trials of this experiment. Using the sliding scale on the right, select a
percent concentration of the sulfuric acid. Record the concentration in the data table.

4.

Click and drag the sample of magnesium to the beaker of sulfuric acid (H 2SO4). As soon as it is
dropped in, click “START” on the timer. Wait for the reaction to stop bubbling and record this
time in the data table.

5. Click “RESET” in the lower right corner to reset all lab equipment. You will now begin with fresh
sample of acid and magnesium.

6. Select a new concentration of acid, and record it in the data table. Drop the magnesium ribbon
into the acid and record the reaction time in the data table.

7. Continue the experiment until you have performed 6 trials of various concentrations.

8. Record the reaction times of each reaction in the data table.

9. Once you have completed the data table, click “COMPARE RESULTS”. Click “PRINT”, but save
your results to your desktop. You will submit this file to the dropbox in your course.

Conclusions and Questions:

1. Based on your experimental data, make a general statement (hypothesis) about the effect of
temperature on reaction rate.
I think the higher the temperature the less time on the reaction rate and vice versa

2. When a sample is broken up into smaller pieces, surface area is increased, because more particle
surface is exposed. What can you conclude about the relationship between surface area and
reaction rate?

I think when it is broken up it takes more time to dissolve so the reaction rate will be higher

3. Make a final hypothesis about the effect of concentration of reactants on reaction rate.

I think the higher the concentration the more time it takes on the reaction rate and vice
versa

4. How does the “collision theory” relate to the rate of a chemical reaction?

The collision theory states that chemical reactions occur if there are collisions of the right
energy levels between atoms and molecules, so it follows that if the molecules collide more
often that this will increase the rate of reaction

5. A chemist heated a sample of steel wool in a burner flame exposed to oxygen in the air. He
also heated a sample of steel wool in a container of nearly 100% oxygen. The steel wool
sample in the container reacted faster than the other sample.
1. Explain why.

Because higher concentration of O2 → more effective collisions

2. Would the chemist have observed the same results if he used a block of steel
instead of steel wool? Explain your answer.

No because lower surface are means a slower rate

It would occur slower if it isn’t heated.

Submit this document with your answer to each of the questions,