COLORIMETRY METHOD

After much experimenting with concentrations and volumes, this is the

final method im going to use to do my final experiments to find the order
and rate of this reaction.
Reactants
2cm3 of 2M, 4M and 6M Propanone
1cm3 of 0.02M and 0.04M Iodine solution
5cm3 of Distilled water
2cm3 of 2M and 4M Hydrochloric acid
Method
1. choose an appropriate filter on the colorimeter, use a blue (470 nm)
filter because the iodine solution is yellow/orange.
2. Calibrate the colorimeter by using distilled water as a reference.
3. Measure 2.0cm3 of propanone into a boiling tube using a graduated
pipette.
4. In a different boiling tube, measure 2.0cm 3 of hydrochloric acid, 1.0cm3
of Iodine solution and 5.0cm3 of distilled water.
5. With a stopwatch at the ready, carefully put one tube of solution into
the other and immediately start the timer as fast as possible.
6. Sample some of the reaction into a clean cuvette using a dropping
pipette and then place into the colorimeter.
7. Every 30 seconds note down the absorbance reading of the sample, by
pressing the reference button, for the next 6 minutes.
8. Use these results to plot a calibration curve.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 but changing the concentration of propanone to 4M
and then 6M to find the order of reaction with respect to propanone.
10.Repeat steps 1-8 again but this time finding the order of reaction with
respect to Iodine by changing the concentration of the Iodine solution to
0.04M.
11.Repeat steps 1-8 finally but changing the concentration of the
hydrochloric acid to 4M to find the order of reaction with respect to the acid.
Colorimetry

Iodine
(mol dm-3)

Propanone
(mol dm-3)

Hydrochloric
Rate of
acid (mol dm-3) reaction

0.02

2.0

2.0

0.02

4.0

2.0

0.02

6.0

2.0

0.04

2.0

4.0

0.02

2.0

2.0

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/experimental.html