Rates of Reaction Lab
Catalysis of the reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid
http://bit.ly/2a4TeCF
Connections to the Next
Generation Science Standards
Practice Elements:
 Reason abstractly and
quantitatively
 Choose a level of accuracy
appropriate to limitations on
measurement when
reporting quantities
 Use units as a way to
understand problems and to
guide the solution of multistep problems
Crosscutting Concepts:
 Patterns
Disciplinary Core Idea:
 Chemical Reactions
Science and Engineering Practices:
 Constructing Explanations
and Designing Solutions
Target Grade Level: 9-12
Apply scientific principles and
evidence to provide an
explanation about the effects of
changing temperature or
concentration of the reacting
particles on the rate at which a
reaction occurs.
RET PARTNERSHIPS SUMMER 2016
Jeremy Morrow
Chemistry
Hoover High School
What makes reactions go faster?
Image courtesy of bangshift.com
Lesson Summary
Why is my peanut butter creamy? It is because of a
catalyzed hydrogenation reaction. Used so widely in
industry that they contribute to about 8% of the world’s
gross domestic product (GDP) and almost 25% of
industrial reactions are known to consist of at least one
hydrogenation steps in them! This lesson reviews factors
that affect rates of reactions with an emphasis on
catalysts.
Elephant Toothpaste Demo-10 minutes
I will demo the reaction of concentrated (30%)
hydrogen peroxide with food coloring and dish soap.
I will have two large flasks (#1 and #2) which I will
add the above items to. In one of the flasks will I add a
saturated sodium solution, and an explosion of soap will
occur.
Students will generate questions around this
phenomena-10 minutes
Example questions might include:



Why did flask 1 not produce an explosion?
What was added to flask 2 to cause the
explosions?
Which factor that contribute to reaction rates was
observed in the demo?
Catalysis of the reaction between zinc and sulfuric
acid instructions – minutes 10
Students perform lab 45 minutes
Students visit lab stations with
 4 test tubes of sulfuric acid in test tube stands
 Pieces of mossy zinc
 Copper turnings
 Magnesium ribbons
Students will create an experiment to determine which
combination produces a catalyzed reaction of hydrogen gas.
Page 32 of 52
Image courtesy of http://blog.indeeco.com/explosion-proof-vsexplosion-resistance/
One
aspect
of your
lesson
Factors
that affect
rates of
Reaction
Phenomena
Element Toothpaste Demo
Other Resources
Extensions:
Students will learn the factors that affect rates of reaction:
 Temperature
 Catalysts
 Pressure (gases)
 Concentration
This lesson could be extended to
energy diagrams and chemical
equilibrium. The teacher could
have students research what
energy diagrams of different
reactions would look like.
Teacher could ask students to
research chemical equilibrium
and if it was observed.in any of
the lab reactions.
Science Partners
Radhika Rao
Students will record observations of time vs. amount of
PhD Student
hydrogen gas produced on a graph.
Dept. of Chemical Engineering
In addition students will draw an energy diagram
Iowa State University
showing a reaction with and without a catalysts.
Students will develop a model showing how each of these
what affect each of these have on reaction rates.
RET PARTNERSHIPS SUMMER 2016
Page 33 of 52
Additional Unit Plan
Information:
http://bit.ly/2a4TeCF