How does Temperature affect Rate of a reaction?

Sodium thiosulphate reacts with hydrochloric acid to form a cloudy solution

Na2S2O3 + 2HCl  2NaCl + H2O + SO2 + S (yellow solid)

SAFETY! This will stay dissolved in the water but there is a small risk for people with asthma so after the
reaction is finished dump the mixture into the basin in the fume cupboard.

Apparatus:
100 ml conical flask
beaker to use as a heating water bath
thermometer
paper marked “X”
stopwatch
` 2 x measuring cylinders: 50 ml for sodium thiosulphate & 25 ml for hydrochloric acid
Equipment:
kettle: to heat water
small pouring jugs: for filling measuring cylinders more easily DO NOT MIX THESE UP

Chemicals:
Sodium thiosulphate – irritant
Hydrochloric acid – corrosive If either is spilt onto your skin, then wash at tap with cold running water

Safety:
1. eye protection 2. SO2 risk for asthmatics 3. HCl can damage skin 4. hot water can cause burns

Prediction:

What do you predict will happen to the time it takes to get cloudy as you increase the temperature for
each reaction?
Procedure:

1. Measure out, in the measuring cylinder, and put 50 cm3 sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3) solution into
the conical flask.

2. Measure out, in the OTHER measuring cylinder 10 cm3 hydrochloric acid, DO NOT ADD YET.

3. Put the conical flask into the beaker.

4. Put the thermometer into the conical flask and record the temperature.

5. Place the beaker onto the paper marked “X” and have your stopwatch ready.

6. Add 10 cm3 hydrochloric acid and at the same time START timing with the stopwatch.

7. Stop the stopwatch when you cannot see the “X” on the paper anymore and record your time.

8. Empty the reaction mixture into the basin in the fume cupboard and rinse your conical flask and
thermometer at a sink.

9. Repeat from step one but this time change the temperature of the reaction by adding warm water
from the kettle to the beaker to warm the conical flask.
Aim roughly for 35oC and 50oC, just as long as you record your own temperature.

Do not overfill the beaker. The water level will rise when you put in the conical flask. 100 ml is enough.

Rough aim for temperature Actual Temperature of solution Time taken for “X” to disappear
(oC) (°C) (seconds)

1 Room temp. 20
2 35
3 50

1) Describe the pattern of your results

2) Explain this pattern using collision theory

(Key words: particles, energy, collisions, successful collisions,)