1

Experiment 10: Iodine Clock Reaction

Abstract

Students were to identify how fast a chemical reaction was to occur where persulfate

ions was oxidized by iodide ions, otherwise perform what’s called the iodide clock reaction. The

background of the Clock Reaction will be discussed along with the remaining parts such as what

we hypothesized, what one’s data came out to be and what we concluded with. Carrying out

with experiment with trial and error was essential in this lab in order to acquire reasonable

results.

Introduction

This experiment is designed to study the kinetics of a chemical reaction. The reaction

involves redox reactions where the iodide ions are oxidized by persulfate ions in the presence of

acid. The rate of reaction is governed by the collision theory. A chemical reaction occurs when

the reactant molecules are colliding and the collision must have enough energy to break and

form the bonds needed. And so, if we can increase the amount of these collisions, then we can

increase the rate of reaction. The factors used in the experiment to affect the rate of the chemical

reaction were difference in concentration and temperature. Thus, the hypothesis was that the

more reactants that are present in the reaction, the more frequently those particles will collide

the less time it takes for the reaction to create those products. Therefore, increasing the rate of

concentration can increase the rate of reaction resulting the two with a direct proportional

relationship.

Materials and Procedure

The process that was mainly tested during this experiment was the effect of limiting and

adding variables that would affect the rate of the reaction. For the first step of the preparation,

the NaI solution was diluted in a 100.0mL Volumetric Flask using 5.00mL, 10.00mL, 20.00mL,

and 25.00mL samples of the NaI. When transferred to the Volumetric Flask, the remaining

amount of the flask was filled with deionized water. After each dilution was prepared, the
 2

contents were placed in separate labeled beakers. After creating the NaI dilutions, a single

sample of one of the diluted NaI samples was placed into a new beaker. This beaker would be

the test beaker, where the other reactants would be added to create the reaction. This was called

Beaker A, though it is recommended that the label has all of the chemicals that went into the

beaker. Beaker A will contain 5.00mL of the NaI dilution, 2.00mL of Na_2S_O_3, and 2.00mL

of the starch indicator. Beaker A was then placed on a hot plate, not yet stirred. The

recommended dilution to start with of the NaI dilution is the 5.00mL dilute to observe the linear

progression of the data. A 2nd beaker was prepared, this one only containing 5.00mL of

K_2S_2O_8. Beaker B permanently holds K_2S_2O_8, and never contained any other

chemical. This beaker can also be labeled as Potassium Persulfate for clarity. The contents of

Beaker B and then poured into the solution in Beaker A and set to stir using the highest speed. A

stopwatch was used to determine the amount of time that it took for the reaction to occur. This

process occurred for each NaI dilution, additional trials are recommended. After all data,

observations and measurements were recorded, a second experiment was setup to test the rate of

the reaction when heat was added into the equation. The same process was repeated as the

previous experiment, only the temperature of the solution was taken before the contents of

Beaker 2 was added to Beaker A, and after the reaction had turned completely black. To make

the data more accurate, the initial temperature was always measured around 34.5͒C. To minimize

the amount of errors that could have occurred, the same dilution sample of the NaI were used for

both experiments so that the data would be gathered from the same products.

Results

Data Table: Effect of Chemical Reaction based on Concentration

NaI Molarity (M) Volumetric Pipettes used (ml) Time (s)

 3

0.05 5 109.97

0.1 10 49.69

0.2 20 30.03

0.25 25 19.28

The raw data from the experiment shows that as concentration decreases the amount of time for

the reaction to take place also decreases. This data supports the hypothesis and interpreted

collision theory. More particles, which in this case is measured by concentration, will allow

more particles receiving sufficient kinetic energy to have effective collisions and therefore

complete the reaction at a faster rate.

Using the data, it is possible to find the overall rate of reaction through a graphing method. In

the first order of reaction the x and y-axis of the graph are natural log of the concentration

(ln[A]) and the time (t in seconds) respectively. A negative slope is expected and would be the

negative value of the rate constant (-K). In the second order of reaction the x and y-axis of the

graph are one over the concentration (1/[A]) and time (t in seconds) respectively. A positive

slope is expected and would be the value of the rate of constant (K). And zero order can be

eliminated as a possibility because zero order requires no changes in the rate of reaction. The

graphs below are representations of the data applied with first and second order.
 4

The first order graph’s y-intercept is calculated by taking the natural log of the initial

concentration. And the slope is equivalent to the negative value of the rate constant. The

calculations for this are:

y-inter: ln[A]0 → y-inter: ln(1)=0 slope=-K → -0.0328=-K → K=0.03280

Also the equation of the line and R2 is provided by the best fit trendline: y=-0.03280x

R2= 0.6451
 5

The second order graph’s y-intercept is calculated by dividing one over the initial concentration

(1/[A]). And the slope is equivalent to K. The calculation are:

y-inter: 1/[A] → y-inter: 1/1=1 slope=K → K= 0.1714 M-1s-1

Also the equation of the line and R2 is provided by the best fit trendline: y=0.1714x+1

R2=0.9925

When observing the R2 produced by the best fit trend lines, it is obvious the second order

graph’s R2 is closer to 1 than the first order graph. Therefore the reaction will be identified as a

second order and all values will be based off of the guidelines of second order rules.

The overall rate law for second order is rate=K[A]2 and the units for the rate constant (K) is

inverse molarity and seconds (M-1S-1). Also the integrated rate law for second order is 1/[A]t=

Kt+1/[A]0.

The calculations when applying the second order laws are:

Rate=K[A]2 → Rate= 0.1714 M-1s-1*(1.0M NaI)2=0.1714 M/s

The half life can also be found using the half life expression of second order, t1/2= 1/k[A]0.

t1/2= 1/k[A]0 → t1/2=1/(0.1714M-1s-1*(1.0M NaI))= 5.8 s

Through these calculations the important data extracted is the rate constant (K) which is 0.1714

M-1s-1, and the rate of the reaction which is 0.1714 M/s.

In the second part of the experiment, the change in temperature will allow an observable and

calculated change in the rate because the heat will cause the kinetic energy of the particles to

increase. And although the activation energy will remain constant, more particles will have

enough energy to overcome the activation energy and therefore increase the rate of reaction. Data

Table: Effect of Chemical Reaction based on Concentration and Temperature

Molarity (M) Volumetric Time (s) Initial Final

 Pipette (ml) Temperature Temperature

(degree Celsius) (degree Celsius)

0.020 2 94.79 34.5 44.8

0.05 5 45.72 34.4 39.6

0.1 10 29.59 34.5 35.7

0.2 20 13.12 34.4 35.7

The raw data in the second part of the experiment shows that the addition of temperature

significantly decreased the amount of time it took for the reaction to take place. In this

experiment, the change of concentration and temperature were both applied to observe the effect

of concentration and temperature on the rate of reaction.

The graph above is the representation of the data applied with the second order.

Through process of applying second order conditions and equations, it is possible to find the rate

constant and rate values.

 7

As mentioned before, the second order graph’s y-intercept is calculated by dividing one over the

initial concentration (1/[A]) and the slope is equivalent to K. The calculation are:

y-inter: 1/[A] → y-inter: 1/1=1 slope=K → K= 0.1978 M-1s-1

Also the equation of the line and R2 is provided by the best fit trendline: y=0.1978x+1

R2=0.9939

The R2 of the best fit trendline is very close to 1, which confirms once again that the second

order is the most applicable order.

The calculations when applying the second order laws are:

Rate=K[A]2 → Rate= 0.1978 M-1s-1*(1.0M NaI)2=0.1978 M/s

The half life can also be found using the half life expression of second order, t1/2= 1/k[A]0.

t1/2= 1/k[A]0 → t1/2=1/(0.1978 M-1s-1*(1.0M NaI))= 5.1 s

From the calculations of the rate constant and rate of reaction from the previous experiment

without heat and only concentration to the second experiment with heat and concentration, it can

be seen that the rate of the reaction for the experiment with heat is greater than the experiment

without heat. The data shows the reaction without heat had a rate of 0.1714 M/s, while the

reaction with heat increased the rate to 0.1978 M/s. This data proves that heat does cause the rate

of reaction to change and therefore both concentration and temperature affect reaction rate by

influencing the kinetic energy of the particles which in turn results in effective collisions and

leads to a reaction.
 8

Now that the rate and rate constant values have been found, arrhenius’s equation can be applied

to find the activation energy of the reaction. The activation energy is an important value because

the difference in activation energy (Ea) causes variation in the rate of reaction.

An alternative version of Arrhenius’s Equation can be used to find the activation energy of the

reaction, by using two different rate constants affected by their respective temperatures.

Alternative Arrhenius Equation: ln (K1 / K2) = -Ea/R (1/T1 - 1/T2) K1=0.1714 M-1s-1 R=

8.314 J/mol*K K2=0.1978 M-1s-1

T1=294.25 K (Room Temp.)

T2=307.60 K (Average of Initial Temp.)

ln(0.1714 M-1s-1/ 0.1978 M-1s-1)= -Ea/8.314 J/mol*K (1/294.25 K - 1/307.60 K)

-971.3=-Ea/8.314 J/mol*K (1.4750E-4 K)

Ea= 8.075 kJ/mol

The arrhenius equation shows the activation to equal 101.3 kJ/mol. In other words, 101.3 kJ/mol

is the energy barrier that must be overcome convert the reactants to active components.

Overall, the data shows that a second order is required to find the rate law, rate, and rate

constants of the reaction with or without heat. Activation energy of the reaction, can also be

found using the variables discovered through the second order.

Discussion

During this experiment, possible errors that could have occurred were mainly caused by

chemical manufacturing. Errors could have been made when the Potassium Persulfate was

moved from Beaker B to Beaker A, some trace amounts could have been left behind. Also, if

more diluted solutions needed to be made for the heat trials, then the data would not be the same
 9

for all the tests. If trials didn’t go according to the data, or the data was different than the

previous trials then errors could have been made if the bad data was used for the calculations.

If multiple trials weren’t being conducted a only a single set of data was being used to make

calculations then there would be no other indicators on whether or not the original data was

within the proper parameters. While human error could have been the cause of wrong

solutions, the most logical reasoning for error is a misstep in calculations, not a sample of bad

data. Based on the data that was gathered during this experiment, the original hypothesis

correlated with the data that we expected to get. As the concentration of the NaI was higher,

then there was less time needed to dissociate the ions. Lower concentrations would require

more time because there were less particles to dissociate the ions and turn the solution black.

Also, the calculations for the experiment were conducted under the impression that the

reaction was a first order reaction instead of a second order reaction. This caused a lot of

confusion with calculations but after learning that it was second order during the presentation,

it was fixed and the calculations were redone to find the correct values. After observing the

experiment carried out by another group, the data that was received correlated with the

reactants that were used to increase the rate of reaction. All the data was easy to understand,

though the organization made it a little difficult to understand what the data was trying to

explain. Also, the data tables weren’t clearly labeled, so there was a lot of interpretation on

what the data was. The procedure was very well detailed, making the experiment easy to

follow and understand what the data that was being collected was meant describe.

Conclusion

According to the data in the lab, the purpose was reached. The rate of reaction is seen to

increase when temperature or concentration are increased. From the three parts of this
 10

experiment, the use of different reactant concentrations and temperatures demonstrated the

concepts of chemical kinetics and the influence on the iodine clock reaction rates. With more

reactant concentrations, increased temperatures, and a catalyst, the reaction occurs more

quickly. The carbons acquired from the other group’s lab also attained the same hypothesis.

Thus, throughout out this experiment, the sodium thiosulfate was quickly consumed in all

three conditions and the excess iodine reacted with the starch to turn the solution blue to an

immediate black.
 11

References

Lee, Jane, Gina Yoon, and Jessie Cornett. Reaction Kinetics. Rep. no. 5. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

N.p., n.d. Web.<https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/iodine-clock-

reaction/>.

Swearingden, Tyler, Shivam Aggarwal, and Quang Nguyen. Iodide Clock Reaction.Rep. no.

6. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Yoon, Gina, Jessie Cornett, and Jane Lee. "One Account. All of Google."Google Slides. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.