Research Question

How do 5 different concentrations of sulphuric acid affect the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) production
when it is reacted with limestone powder?

Hypothesis
If I increase the concentration of sulphuric acid, then the volume of carbon dioxide will increase.

Background Information

Meaning of Molarity (Concentration): How many moles are dissolved in the solution (Science Direct).
In the context of this experiment, the concentration of sulphuric acid means how many sulphuric acid moles are
dissolved in water.

Sulphuric acid is a covalent bond with sulfate and hydrogen (Vendantu).

When sulphuric acid dissolves in water, it dissociates into 2 hydrogen cations and sulfate.
H2SO4 → [SO4]2- + 2H+

Byjus. “Sulphate [SO4](2-)- Structure, Properties, Preparation, Uses.” BYJUS,

byjus.com/jee/sulphate/.

Study. Study.com, 2022, study.com/learn/lesson/sulfuric-acid-formula-structure.html.

Then, when the calcium carbonate ( CaCO3) is put in the dissolved sulphuric acid, the calcium carbonate dissolves
into calcium ions (Ca2+) and carbonate ions [CO3]2- (Bionity). The carbonate ion is covalently bonded with the 2 hydrogen
ions .
[CO3]2- + 2H+ → H2​CO3
(Carbonate Ions + Hydrogen → Carbonic Acid)

Carbonic acid further decomposes in water which consequently forms carbon dioxide and water (Study).
H2​CO3 → CO2 + H2O

However, there is still sulfate ion [SO4]2- and calcium ions (Ca2+) left. These two, which one needs 2 and one loses 2
valence electrons, are ionic bonded to form CaSO4 (Study).
[SO4]2- + Ca2+ → CaSO4
(Sulfate Ion + Calcium Ion→ Calcium Sulfate)

The whole equation of the reaction between sulphuric acid and calcium carbonate (Breslyn):
H2SO4 + CaCO3 → CaSO4 + H2O + CO2
(Sulphuric Acid + Calcium Carbonate (Limestone) → Calcium Sulfate + Water + Carbon Dioxide)

Carbon dioxide and water are byproducts of this reaction.

Scientific Explanation
According to the equation, for every 1 mole of sulphuric acid and 1 mole of limestone, it produces 1 mole
of carbon dioxide.
For a reaction to occur, two or more of the molecules have to collide with sufficient energy and proper
orientation, which in other words is known for the collision theory (LibreText Chem). Therefore, sulphuric acid
and limestone must collide with each other for reaction. As mentioned earlier, concentration of sulphuric
acid is how much moles of sulphuric acid are dissolved in water. If I increase the concentration of
sulphuric acid, the amount of sulphuric acid that is dissolved in water will increase. Therefore, in a high
concentration of sulphuric acid, more sulphuric acid molecules are present than low concentration (Byjus).
If there are more sulphuric acids present, there will be a higher chance for the limestones to collide with
them (BCcampus). So then, when more collisions occur, reactions will happen more frequently, which then
increases the production of CO2.
To clarify, in this experiment, the energy, which I will give heat energy by hot plate, will be constant and
because I will be using the same elements throughout, the orientation will be the same. Therefore, the
concentration of sulphuric acid is the only factor that affects the collision theory that “It must collide”
(OpenStax).

Variables

Independent Variable
Concentration of sulphuric acid measured in Molarity (M)
0.2 M, 0.4 M, 0.6 M, 0.8M, 1.0M

Dependent Variable
The volume of CO2, measured in a gas syringe in cm3

Control Variable
Controlled variable How will you keep this controlled What would happen to your
variable the same? results if the controlled
variable changed?

If I do not grind the limestone,

I will measure 10g of limestone powder
Limestone Powder
on the electronic scale for each trial.
the surface area of the
limestone can be different.
Different surface areas will
have different reaction rates.
This is because, if one has a
bigger surface area, it will be
exposed to the acid more
which then increases the
reactions. However, grinding

The temperature of I will use a hot plate and set the
the hot plate temperature to 50 degrees.
I will use a measuring cylinder to
The volume of measure 40 ml of sulphuric acid of each
Sulphuric acid concentration and pour it on the conical
flask.
the limestone into powder will
have each nano size limestone
have the same surface area.
This experiment is still able to
work at room temperature.
However, the room
temperature, which is
between 20~22 C, cannot be
enough for the atoms to have
kinetic energy for collision.
Also, room temperature
cannot always be 20~22 C.
Sometimes, opening the
window can drastically lower
the temperature. This causes
the kinetic energy for the
atoms to decrease which
slows them down. Therefore,
using a hot plate then placing
the conical flask will heat up
the atoms and give kinetic
energy so that I can use each
sulphuric concentration to its
maximum for collision and
produce CO2.
Same concentration but
different volume will lead to
different results. For example,
say that the concentration is
0.2M, and use 50 ml and 100
ml of sulphuric acid.
Using calculation:
Moles = Molarity x Volume (L)
Moles = 0.2 x 0.05 = 0.01
 Moles = 0.2 x 0.1 = 0.02

By this, it is clear that there is

a difference in the moles
which means that 50ml has
less sulphuric acid moles than
100ml. Due to collision theory,
100ml has a higher chance of
colliding and reacting than
50ml. Therefore, 100ml will
produce more CO2 than 50ml.

Measuring the CO2 production

after 10 seconds and 1 minute
can have a difference. This is
because, after 1 minute, the
I will use a stopwatch and as soon as I
sulphuric has more time to
close the conical flask with a rubber
collide with the calcium
Time bung, I will start the timer for 30
carbonate which produces
seconds. Then I will measure the
more CO2. Thus, having a fixed
volume of CO2.
time can make the experiment
fair because all of the trials
have an equal amount of time
of reaction.

Method
Material List
1 Conical Flask
200g of Limestone Powder
1 Gas syringe
1 Rubber Bung
0.2 M, 0.4M, 0.6M, 0.8M And 1M of Sulphuric Acid (160ml each)
1 Stand and Clamp
1 Spoon Spatula
1 Stopwatch
1 Measuring Cylinder
1 Electronic Scale
1 Hot Plate
Annotated Diagram

Global Glison. “Cimarec+TM Stirring Hot Plate.” GlobalGilson.com,

www.globalgilson.com/magnetic-stirring-hot-plate.

Step-by-Step Method:
1. Turn the hot plate and set the temperature to 50 degrees celsius.
2. Place the conical flask on the hot plate.
3. Measure 40 ml of sulphuric acid in the measuring cylinder.
4. Pour the 40 ml of the sulphuric acid from the measuring cylinder to the conical flask.
5. Weigh 10g of limestone powder on an electronic scale.
6. Pour the 10g of limestone into the conical flask.
7. Immediately close the conical flask with the rubber bung.
8. Immediately start the stopwatch and wait until 30 seconds have passed
9. After the stopwatch hits 30 seconds, measure the volume of the CO2 through the gas syringe in cm3.
10. Take the rubber bung out of the conical flask and drain the acid.
 11. Redo the step from 2 to 10, by repeating each molarity 4 times.

Safety, environment and ethics:

This experiment involves high pH acids. These acids when contacted with skin can cause skin burn and the tissues to
fall off. Thus, in order to prevent this, wearing safety gloves is important to protect the hand and also lab coats. Also,
the acids can splash into our eyes, therefore wearing safety goggles is also important.
Be careful with the hot plate, it can burn your hand when you touch it.

Bibliography

Works Cited

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www.bionity.com/en/encyclopedia/Calcium_carbonate.html#:~:text=Calcium%20ca

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Breslyn, Wayne. “How to Balance H2SO4 + CaCO3 = CaSO4 + H2O + CO2 (Sulfuric Acid

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lLVNNgmrY&ab_channel=WayneBreslyn. Accessed

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Https://Homework.study.com/Explanation/Balance-The-Following-Net-Ionic-Equatio

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