Acids and Bases unit

Measuring temperature change when reacting varying concentrations of HCl with

NaOH

Skye Mulder
IS10C
08.05.23

1400+10% (1540) words without intext citations, subheadings, and titles

Research question:
How does varying the molar concentration of HCl (moles per cubic decimetre)
reacting with a set solution/concentration of NaOH effect temperature change of the
solution before and after reaction?

Introduction:

In order to solve the above research question, along with a group consisting of 4
members, we measured the temperature change after adding 10 ml of NaOH to a 50
ml beaker with one of the set 10 ml concentration solutions of HCl. The
concentrations of HCl we experimented with consist of (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8,1.0 mol per
dm^3). We proceeded to measure the initial temperature (°C) ( of the NaOH and then
measure the final temperature (°C) after adding the HCl solution in order to measure
the temperature reaction.

Raw data table 1- NaOH initial temperature (°C) vs. (NaOH and HCl) solution
final temperature (°C)
 NaOH Initial Trial 1 -Final NaOH Initial Trial 2 –Final NaOH Initial Trial 3 -Final
Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
1 (°C) (°C) 2 (°C) (°C) 3 (°C) (°C)
Concentration
of HCl
(Mol/dm^3)
0.2
mol/dm^3 20.3 21.7 20.1 21.6 20.2 21.9
0.4
mol/dm^3 20.4 22.5 20.5 22.5 18.5 21.5
0.6
mol/dm^3 20.6 21.6 20.8 21.9 20.9 22.0
0.8
mol/dm^3 19.0 22.7 20.1 22.7 20.7 22.4
1.0
mol/dm^3 20.4 21.9 20.4 21.4 20.5 21.5

Calculation made to find temperature change in following table- Initial temperature

subtracted from final temperature, find temperature change in initial vs. final solution. Done
for each trial. Ex. Calculation: (Trial 1, 0,2 mol/dm^3).
Final temperature -> 21.7 degrees
Initial temperature -> 20.3 degrees
Calculation: 21.7-20.3= 1.4 degrees of temperature change

Processed data table 1- Temperature change (°C) vs. Concentration of HCl

added to NaOH base (mol/dm^3)

Temperature change from Temperature change from Temperature change from

initial to final (°C) Trial 1 initial to final (°C) Trial 2 initial to final (°C) Trial 3
Concentration
of HCl
(Mol/dm^3)
0.2
mol/dm^3 1.4 1.5 1.7
0.4
mol/dm^3 2.1 2.0 3.0
0.6
mol/dm^3 1.0 1.1 1.1
0.8
mol/dm^3 3.7 2.6 1.7
1.0
mol/dm^3 1.5 1.0 1.0
Calculation made to calculate average value from 3 trials of temperature change. Add three
values together for the corresponding concentration, 1 from each trial, and divide by how
many trials done (3).
Example calculation: (0,2 mol/dm^3)
Trial 1 temp change- 1.4
Trial 2 temp change- 1.5
Trial 3 temp change- 1.7
1.4+1.5+1.7=4.6
4.6/3= 1.53333 rounded to 1.5 degrees average temperature change.

Processed data table 2- Average Temperature change (°C) vs. concentration of

HCl added to NaOH base (mol/dm^3)

Average temperature change from intial to final (°C)

Concentration of HCl (Mol/dm^3)
0.2 mol/dm^3 1.5
0.4 mol/dm^3 2.4
0.6 mol/dm^3 1.1
0.8 mol/dm^3 2.7
1.0 mol/dm^3 1.2

Processed Graph 1- Concentration of HCl acid added to NaOH base vs.

Average temperature change (°C)
Qualitative data- While conducting this experiment, my group and I noticed a few
things in the process that may be essential to record. To begin, as we entered the
lab room it was a bit chilly on day 2 of experiment (Effects of this will be explained
below). When adding the HCl solution to the NaOH, no visible reaction took place,
and the two liquids incorporated immediately, with no visible color change or odor,
and no clear gas or bubbles were produced.

Final graph analyzed- As you can see above in my processed data graph 1, The
pattern is not constant nor consistent and instead forms a waved line, causing me to
be skeptical of the reliability of the data I have collected. As you can see, no
controlled (0 mol/dm^3 concentration of HCl) experiment was collected, proving
further that this graph cannot convey a proportional relationship. In the first two
experiments (0,2 mol/dm^3 and 0,4 mol/ dm^3) there is a clear increase in
temperature that I had previously expected but moving on from this you see a
decrease in temperature change to the following data point, creating a spiked formed
graph. This pattern continues onto the 0,8 mol/dm^3 concentration, when yet again,
another spike in the data becomes clear, where following, it seems to decrease
again, ending at 1 mol/dm^3, the last data point having a lesser value than the
starting point. Referring to processed data table 1, there were no real outliers other
than 0,4 mol/dm^3 trial 3, and 0,8 mol/dm^3 trial 1. These may not be considered
outliers as they do continue the pattern on the graph and are following the relative
trend in the data. But these data points are quite far off from the other data points
measured and could’ve dragged up the average for the two “spikes in data”, 0,4 and
0,8 mol/dm^3. Without taking these outliers into account, the graph would look as
follows:

Processed data graph 2- Concentration of HCl acid added to NaOH base vs.
average temperature change (°C), removed outliers.
As seen above, the extent in which the spikes are heightened, is significantly lesser
than the previous graph. This can be seen as a better representation of the data, as
outliers have been removed. As you see, if the value for 0,6 mol/dm^3 was between
2,05 and 2,15 degrees, the pattern would have been clearer as a steady increase
from 0,2 to 0,8 mol/dm^3, with 0,8 being the reactants threshold, and a drop at 0,1
mol/dm^3 being supported. This we will explain more in depth in the following
section.

Conclusion- As seen above in my graph, a nonlinear trend is apparent, meaning

that temperature change varies as level of concentration of HCl changes, with little
difference between points in perspective. This nonlinearity may be due to
experimental issues or factors in my method (explained in following section), as well
as a lack of data range. Prior to this experiment, I hypothesized that as concentration
of HCl increases, the temperature change of solution will increase. This was due to
the increased number of acid particles in an increased concentration of HCl; thus,
increasing collisions and movement. This increase of collisions allowed the positive
hydrogen ions to bond with the negative NaOH ions. But my data above clearly does
not follow this trend and judging from the graph I would assume that there is no
linear underlying pattern as I had hypothesized. But due to the lack of data range
and no controlled experiment, I would still conclude that this hypothesis is correct,
although not supported by my data. If I were to have points between each point
plotted, such as (0.0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4,0.5,0.6,0.7,0.8,0.9,1.0) (mol/dm^3), I would
expect to see a more linear graph to form, conveying a clear underlying trend within
the increasing concentrations and increase in temperature change, supporting my
hypothesis. In addition, as seen above there is a dip from 0,8-1,0 mol/dm ^3. This
further confirms the unreliability of my data. Because the stoichiometric ratio of
NaOH and HCl when reacting together, is 1:1, when the concentration of HCl added
is 1 mol/dm^3, and the NaOH is too (as we kept it controlled to this amount); this
reaction between HCl and NaOH is expected to increase in temperature change
more than the rest, as all reactants were used up completely, leaving no excess
reactant. This is important as all potential energy will be converted into heat energy,
leading to increased temperature change. (“Excess and Limiting Reagents”). This
theory, along with my hypothesis not being supported by my graph proves that my
data must be unreliable. I believe my hypothesis is correct and my data is
inconclusive, unable to support my prediction.

Evaluation- Due to the inconclusive data trends I have collected, I concluded that
there must have been something wrong with the method, as my hypothesis in theory
should be correct. But, as with every experiment we do, it is extremely difficult to
create perfect testing conditions needed to collect perfect results. Therefore, the
following issues in my method could be reasons as to why the results came out as
such.

To start off, the initial temperature of the solution was not controlled, having a direct
effect on final temperature results. This is because higher initial temperatures result
in higher reaction rates, due to the faster movement of particles, and an increased
number of collisions (Soult). Therefore, because initial temperature was not
controlled, with higher initial temperatures, a greater temperature change could have
been reached in the mere 60 seconds that we measured. To ensure a controlled
experiment environment, it would have been important to control all initial
temperatures in each experiment. Another effect of this mistake lies in how heat
exchange works with the surroundings. Because there was a range between 18.5-
22.7 degrees Celsius initial temperature, as well as the experimenting taking place
over two different days, at different times, two situations could have taken place.
First off, if the external temperature of the room was higher than the initial
temperature of the solution, it can cause the transfer of heat from the surrounding
environment into the reaction mixture. Or vice versa, if the external temperature of
the room is cooler than the solution itself, the reaction mixture can transfer heat to its
surroundings (“5.2: The First Law of Thermodynamics”). This can have an impact on
the temperature change we measure after 60 seconds of adding HCl to the NaOH,
as one of the above situations could have taken place, influencing the temperature of
the final solution. Another potential scientific explanation for the results could be due
to the short reaction time of 60 seconds we measured for final temperature, not
allowing the solution to reach its full potential. In addition, another issue in the
method was the stirring process that was not controlled. We did not set a number of
stirring time/rounds. This influenced our results, as in some trials it was clear that we
were stirring for longer than others before recording temperature change, making it
possible that peak temperatures were reached before we had even begun
measuring. Or, because we stirred one solution more vigorously than another, the
rate of reaction collisions will be increased, therefore increasing movement and
therefore temperature change, through kinetic energy transfer to heat energy. In
addition, if one solution is stirred more than another, a more homogeneous mixture is
produced, therefore minimizing concentration gradients, and building a more
complete reaction, developing a greater temperature change (“IKA Stirring”).
Reproduciality is essential when performing a comparative experiment, and due to
various flaws in our method, it was difficult to produce accurate results which limited
our ability as a group to ensure validity of our obtained data. Therefore, moving
forward, to avoid this issue, I would calculate a set mixing time, no more than ten
seconds, and control this in every experiment, as well as initial temperature, to about
20 degrees Celsius (room temperature)

After experimenting with the method we have developed, I would like to test out my
mistakes in my method, to see if they really have an impact on the experiment. A
following research question I would like to look into consists of testing the effect that
external room temperature has on the temperature change of an acid base reaction?
As well as, to what extent does initial temperature of a solution have an effect on
final temperature in a set acid base reaction?

Works Cited

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