YEAR 10 - PAST PAPER QS: RATES OF REACTION

Q1. The graph shows the volumes of carbon dioxide given off when marble chips (calcium carbonate,
CaCO3 ) are reacted with hydrochloric acid in five different experiments. The reaction goes as follows:
CaCO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq)  CaCl2 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O(l)

(a)  Curve A shows the volume of carbon dioxide given off when some marble chips are reacted with an
excess of 1.0 mol/dm3 hydrochloric acid. mol/dm3 means concentration
(i)  Explain which curve, B, C, D or E, could represent the results obtained if half the mass of marble
chips is used with excess of the acid.
(2)
I would say E because if there are less marble chips present, the resulting Carbon Dioxide will be
lower than if there are more. Furthermore, Curve A’s limit is 60 “Volume of carbon dioxide in cm³ “,
while Curve E’s limit is 30 ““Volume of carbon dioxide in cm³ “, the half.
(ii)  Explain which curve, B, C, D or E, could represent the results obtained if the reaction is performed
at a lower temperature, with the same mass of marble chips and excess of the acid.
(2)
Curve C represents the results of this reaction at a lower temperature because as we can see the line
stops curving after Curve A stops curving. Linking to Particle Theory, this would happen because if you
decrease the temperature, the rate of the particles colliding with each other would also decrease. This is
because the “hotter” the particles are, the more they vibrate. And the more they vibrate, the bigger the
chance they have to collide and make a chemical reaction.

(iii)  Explain which curve, B, C, D or E, could represent the results obtained if the marble chips are
replaced by the same mass of powdered marble chips and excess of the acid.
(2)
I would say D because if the marble chips are powdered, they have basically already been broken down
into smaller pieces and they now hold a bigger surface area. Which is good because this would increase
the rate of reaction.
(b)  Suggest a suitable piece of apparatus for collecting the carbon dioxide in this experiment.
We could use an Infrared Gas sensor as these are very good at detecting the carbon dioxide levels.
(1)
Total for question = 7 marks)

Q2. Sodium thiosulfate solution and dilute hydrochloric acid react together slowly to form a precipitate of
sulfur (solid sulfur). This precipitate eventually makes the mixture go cloudy.
A student uses this method.
   place 20 cm3 of sodium thiosulfate solution and 20 cm3 of water in a conical flask
   add 10 cm3 of dilute hydrochloric acid to the flask
   place the flask on a piece of paper marked with a black
   time how long it takes before the can no longer be seen

(c)  She repeats the experiment using the same volumes and concentrations of solutions, but at different
temperatures. The graph shows her results.

(i)  The result at (14, 42) is anomalous.

Explain one specific mistake the student may have made to cause this anomalous result.
Water flow is not fixed. This means that it’s not always going to be the same.
(1)
(ii)  Use the graph to find the time taken for the to be no longer seen at 35 °C.
(1)
Around 20s

Q3. Some students investigated the rate of the reaction between marble chips (calcium carbonate) and
dilute hydrochloric acid.
 (a) The equation for the reaction is
CaCO3 (....s......) + 2HCl (.....aq.....) → CaCl2 (.....aq.....) + H2O (.....l.....) + CO2 (.....g.....)
Insert state symbols after each formula.
(2)
(b) One of the students used this apparatus.

(i) What is the purpose of the cotton wool?

(1)
      The cottons wool is used so that the dilute hydrochloric acid does not escape the flask.
(ii) He recorded the total mass of the conical flask and contents every 30 seconds for several minutes. He
plotted the results
as a graph of total mass (y-axis) against time.
Which of the graphs could represent his results?
Put a cross ( ) in a box to indicate your answer.
(1)

A
(c) Another student carried out three experiments to investigate the effect of changing the concentration
and temperature of hydrochloric acid on the rate of reaction.
She kept the number and size of marble chips the same in each experiment.
The marble chips were in excess.
In each experiment she measured the volume of gas collected at different times, using this
apparatus
.
 The graph shows the results of her experiments.

(i) Experiments A and B represent experiments using the same concentration of hydrochloric acid
but at different temperatures.
Which letter represents the experiment at the higher temperature?
Give a reason for your choice.
(2)
Letter A
Reason If the temperature is lower it would take more time for all of the molecules to react with each
other.
(ii) Experiments B and C represent experiments at the same temperatures and using the same
volumes of hydrochloric acid.
The concentration of hydrochloric acid used in experiment B is 0.20 mol/dm3.
What is the concentration of hydrochloric acid used in experiment C?
Explain how you worked out your answer.
(2)
Concentration 0.10mol/dm³ C = m/V
Explanation The curve is the same as curve B but the volume of gas is half. This means that the
concentration is half of 0.20 mol/dm³.

Q4. The diagram shows the apparatus used to investigate the rate of reaction between calcium carbonate
and an excess of dilute hydrochloric acid.
The mass of the flask and contents is measured at regular time intervals.
The graph shows the results obtained.

(b)  Explain why the mass of the flask and contents decreases with time.
As mentioned before, the cotton wool is loosely placed in the neck of the flask so some gas will escape
from the flask.
(1)
(c)  (i)  The experiment is repeated using:
   the same mass of identical calcium carbonate lumps
   the same volume of hydrochloric acid but of a higher temperature
Sketch on the graph the curve that would be produced. (2)
(ii)  Explain, using the particle collision theory, how the rate of reaction changes with an increase in
temperature of hydrochloric acid.
Particle Collision theory explains how particles collide with each other at different rates. When you
heat up a particle it vibrates and gains kinetic energy. When you heat up the hydrochloric acid the
particles inside it gain kinetic energy and start vibrating, this means that they are more prone to react
with other particles. In conclusion, the rate of reaction increases if you increase the temperature of the
hydrochloric acid.

(3)
Total for question = 7 marks)

Q5. Hydrogen peroxide solution decomposes very slowly at room temperature.

The equation for this reaction is
2H2O2 → 2H2O + O2
Very few bubbles can be seen in the solution because of the slow decomposition.
The rate of this reaction is greatly increased by adding a catalyst.
(a)  A student added a solid to some hydrogen peroxide solution to see if the solid acted as a catalyst.
He noticed that a lot of bubbles formed, and that the solid was still present at the end of the reaction.
Outline a method to show that the solid acted as a catalyst and not as a reactant.
If the solid was a reactant, it would have reacted with the hydrogen peroxide and it wouldn’t be a
solid anymore. What happened though was that the solid reacted with the hydrogen peroxide and
not only did more bubbles form than usual, but it was still present. This means that it was a
catalyst
(b)  The student investigated the effect that changing the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution
has on the rate of the reaction.
He used solid manganese(IV) oxide as the catalyst in each experiment.
This is the method he used.

 pour some hydrogen peroxide solution into a conical flask on a top-pan balance
 add the catalyst and place some cotton wool loosely in the neck of the flask
 record the balance reading and start a timer
 record the balance reading every minute until the mass no longer changes
 repeat the experiment several times using different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide solution

(i)  State one property of each substance that the student should keep the same in each experiment.
(2
hydrogen peroxide solution
same volume
manganese(IV) oxide
Same amount of Mass each time.
(ii)  What is the purpose of the cotton wool?
(1)
The cotton wool is used so that the hydrogen peroxide does not escape the conical flask.
(c)  The graph shows the results of one of the student's experiments.
 (i)  Why does the balance reading decrease during the experiment?
Because gas is escaping the conical flask so it weighs less as time goes on.
(ii)  What does the slope of the curve indicate about the reaction?
(1)
The curve indicates that the mass of flask and contents is decreasing the more time goes on.
(iii)  How long does the reaction take to complete?
Around 8 minutes.
(d)  The results of some of the student's other experiments are shown on this graph.

(i)  Which one of the experiments, R, S or T, was the fastest?

(1)
T was the fastest
(ii)  The concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution in experiment S was 0.40 mol/dm3.
Use the graph to deduce the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution in experiment T.
State how you deduced your answer.(2)
concentration = mol/dm3
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(f)  Explain, in terms of particles, why the rate of a reaction increases as the concentration of a reactant
increases.
The rate of reaction will increase because the higher the concentration of the reactant the more particle
collisions there will be in a period of time.
(2)

(Total for question = 16 marks)