TITLE: RATE OF REACTION

When sodium thiosulphate solution reacts with acid, finely divided

sulphur is slowly precipitated, according to the following ionic equation:
S2032-(aq) 2H+(aq) S(s) + S02 (g) + H2O (l)
In this experiment the effect of temperature on the thiosulphate- acid
reaction is investigated.
AIM: To investigate the effect of concentration on the rate of a reaction
APPARATUS: beakers, measuring cylinder, stop watch, white tile,
sodium thiosulphate solution, sulphuric acid
PROCEDURE
Using a measuring cylinder, place 50cm3 of sodium thiosulphate
solution into the beaker provided. Using another measuring cylinder,
measure 50cm3 of sulphuric acid and add it to the beaker containing the
thiosulphate solution and immediately begin the stopwatch. Place the
beaker over the cross and record the time it takes for the cross to be no
longer visible when viewed from above. Discard the mixture and wash
the beaker. Repeat the procedure described above, using instead the
thiosulphate/water mixture set out in the table below, noting in each case
the time taken for the cross to completely obscure.
Experimen Volume Volume of Volume of Time 1 (s-1)
t number of Acid/ Thiosulphate/cm3 water/cm3 (t)/s
t
cm3
1 50 50 0
2 50 45 5
3 50 40 10
4 50 35 15
5 50 30 20
6 50 25 25
7 50 20 30

DATA ANALYSIS
(a) Plot a graph of volume of thiosulphate against time. Comment on the
general shape of the graph.
(b) Plot a second graph of volume of thiosulphate against l/t. Assuming
that 1/t is a measure of rate of reaction, how does the rate of the reaction
depend on the concentration of sodium thiosulphate?
(c) In this series of experiments
(i) Which variable was controlled?
(ii) Which variable was manipulated?
(iii) What was the responding variable?
(iv) What steps could have been taken to keep the temperature constant?