Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Experiment To Demonstrate How A Catalyst Affects The Rate of A Reaction
An Experiment To Demonstrate How A Catalyst Affects The Rate of A Reaction
Most chemistry students know that a catalyst is a Applying the Arrhenius equation, they will find that Ea
substance that causes the rate of a reaction to increase and is for the noncatalyzed reaction is 53 kJ/mol. A similar
regenerated at the end of the reaction, but they are not always calculation using the rates for the MoO42{-catalyzed reaction
certain how or why a catalyst works. We believe that this is yields an Ea of 42 kJ/mol. Clearly, the catalyzed reaction has
because many beginning texts simply state that a catalyst a lower activation energy, so why is it slower? At first, students
provides a new pathway for the reaction, one with a lower assume that their results are wrong or that “the experiment
activation energy (1). This, of course, need not be the case, did not work.” However, if they and their neighbors were
since any additional pathway will lead to an increase in rate careful to maintain constant temperature (especially in the
even if it has a higher activation energy. This is because two ice bath) they will find others with similar results. This is
reactions running simultaneously will always have a combined the time to point out that the concentration of a
rate that is faster than one alone. Too often, authors fail to homogeneous catalyst or the surface area of a heterogeneous
emphasize that the original reaction is still taking place and catalyst almost always appears in the rate law equation of a
that, depending upon conditions, it is possible for this original catalyzed reaction. To influence a rate, it should be in the
reaction to proceed at a faster rate than the catalyzed reaction. rate law expression.1
This situation is purposefully created by the conditions chosen By designing the experiment with only a small amount
for this experiment. (2.0 × 10{5 M) of MoO42{ added to several of the reaction
mixtures, one can demonstrate that the catalyzed rate can be
The Experiment kept slow even though MoO42{ is a “good catalyst” (i.e., it
lowers the activation energy of the reaction by 10 kJ/mol). If
The reaction studied is a variation of the familiar iodine students are still confused, ask what they would expect the
clock reaction (2). The reaction is rate of the catalyzed reaction to be if they lowered the
H2O2 + 2I { + 2H+ → I 2 + 2H2O (1) [MoO42{] all the way to zero. They will quickly get the idea
that the concentration of a catalyst must appear in the rate law
For each reaction mixture studied (including those that
equation of the catalyzed reaction and that this concentration
contain a small amount of MoO42{ as a catalyst [3–7]), the
is as important as the activation energy. Clearly one needs to
initial reaction rate will be determined by adding starch and
consider both these parameters in discussing how a catalyst
a small known quantity of sodium thiosulfate to the iodide
affects a chemical reaction.
ion solution before adding hydrogen peroxide. Upon mixing
By performing this experiment, students in general and
the hydrogen peroxide with the iodide ion solution, the
introductory physical chemistry can learn more about the
molecular iodine initially produced (eq 1) is immediately
effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction. This experiment
consumed by the thiosulfate according to the reaction
allows students to calculate rates of reaction, orders of reactants,
I 2 + 2S2O32{ → 2I { + S4O62{ (2) and activation energies. It also lets students discover that, to
However, after the small known quantity of thiosulfate is increase a reaction’s rate, a catalyst need only provide any
exhausted, the iodine produced will form a complex with additional pathway for the reaction, not necessarily a pathway
the starch, producing a blue color in the reaction solution. having a lower activation energy. Furthermore, students seem
The interval between the final reagent mixing and the first to enjoy the experiment and some may even be encouraged
appearance of a blue color throughout the solution provides to do further work such as finding the actual rate law and
the time data for the mixture. rate constant for the catalyzed pathway (8).