An Experiment to Demonstrate How a Catalyst Affects the Rate of a Reaction

Christine L. Copper and Edward Koubek
Department of Chemistry, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026
J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76 (12), p 1714
DOI: 10.1021/ed076p1714
Publication Date (Web): December 1, 1999
History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

By performing this experiment, students in general and introductory physical chemistry can learn more about the effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction. This experiment, which is a modified version of the traditional iodine clock reaction, allows students to calculate rates of reaction, orders of reactants, and activation energies. It also lets students discover that to increase a reaction's rate, a catalyst need only provide any additional pathway for the reaction, not necessarily a pathway having a lower activation energy. This experiment is designed so that students will notice that the amount of catalyst used is important. Furthermore, the slight amount (~10-5 M MoO42-) of catalyst needed to increase the overall reaction rate and the abrupt color change that occurs seem to pique the interest of our students.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Laboratory Instruction

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords (Subject):

Catalysis
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  • Received: August 03, 2009

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