Temperature’s effect on rate of reaction

Research Question

How does changing the temperature of 5 mL of Sulphuric acid from 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C,
to 35°C affect the rate of reaction of 100mg or 01g of copper carbonate, measured by the time
it takes to dissolve in the acid?

Background Information

There are a lot of chemical reactions, and a lot of them happen everyday, all the time. Chances
are they are even happening right now. Just the fact that chemical atoms are bonding and
reacting to one another right now is something that no one knew just a few centuries ago.

Chemical reactions happen at different rates. The rate of reaction is the speed of which a
chemical reaction happens.1 Rate of reaction is measured by the amount of product produced
or reactants used over time (see figure 1).

Originally, an experiment that was a little bit different from this was proposed to the teacher,
namely the copper carbonate and switching it with sugar, because it would be an interesting
sight to see sulfuric acid melting sugar and
turning it black and expand. Unfortunately, after
consulting with one of the chemist teachers, they
said that this specific experiment was not
allowed, mainly because it does not fit in with the
amount of increments required. Using sugar
cubes and sugar powder, which is a total of 2
increments, was part of the original proposal. This
Figure 1 - Rate of reaction diagram (Source: Chem is 3 increments below the required amount of
Guide)
increments in the experiment, which was 5.
Besides that, the teacher said that particularly using sugar in the experiment was dangerous
because they knew the effects it would have to any container (significant possibility of any

1
Studios, Andrew. "Chem4kids.Com: Reactions: Rates Of Reaction." Chem4kids.com. N. p.,
2019. Web. 10 May 2019. www.chem4kids.com/files/react_rates.html
glass container shattering) and how time-consuming it would be. The chemistry consultant
then proceeded to give a hypothetical chemistry experiment that is allowed and fits in with the
rule and is not dangerous which also related somewhat to the original experiment proposal.
The researcher is satisfied with this hypothetical experiment and then chose this experiment
as the one that will be done.

There are factors that affect how fast and how slow the chemicals react to one another. They
are concentration, pressure, surface area, temperature, and the presence of a catalyst. This
experiment will be done to study the temperature of sulphuric acid and its effect on the rate of
reaction when combined with copper carbonate.

Figure 2 - Chemical equation (Source: IGCSE)

When copper carbonate is mixed with sulphuric acid, their reaction is defined as a
combustion reaction. This means that they will make a new chemical compound, which in
this case is copper sulphate, along with carbon dioxide and water. Based on Chem Guide,
as you increase the temperature, the rate of reaction increases.2 As a pretty rough
approximation, for every 10°C rise in temperature, the rate of reaction doubles, meaning
they happen twice as fast. The uncertainty around that, however, is ±1°C.

Since sulphuric acid is used to make fertilizers3 and copper carbonate is widely used in
jewelry4, mixing them together would make a combustion reaction, creating cupric sulfate and
water, along with carbon dioxide. Cupric sulfate is used a lot in fertilizing and pest control, so
this experiment can be beneficial to the fertilizing industry and pest control production
companies, since finding out the correlation between the temperature and the rate of reaction
can help finding ways to boost production speed in each of their industries. Besides that, it
can also be used to kill algae and is sometimes used as pigment, so this experiment can
benefit the production company in a wide variety, from infrastructure to make-up. Other than
that, copper sulphate is also used in agriculture and medicine, so finding out if temperature
affects the rate of reaction of the compounds of cupric sulfate (copper sulfate and cupric sulfate

2
"The Effect Of Temperature On Rates Of Reaction." Chemguide.co.uk. N. p., 2019. Web. 10
May 2019. www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/temperature.html
3
"Sulfuric Acid: Uses Of Sulfuric Acid | Infoplease." InfoPlease. N. p., 2019. Web. 10 May 2019.
www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/chemistry/elements/sulfuric-acid/uses-of-sulfuric-acid
4
"What Is Copper Carbonate Used For? - Highettmetal.Com.Au." Highettmetal.com.au. N. p.,
2019. Web. 10 May 2019. www.highettmetal.com.au/blog/copper/what-is-copper-carbonate-
used-for
are used in very similar manners) can help with finding ways of boosting fungicide production
speed.5

Hypothesis

If the temperature of Sulfuric acid increases, the rate of reaction will be faster when mixed
with copper carbonate, because according to the background information, for every 10°C
rise in temperature, the rate of reaction doubles, meaning they happen twice as fast (if the
amount of reactant used up or the product produced stays the same for the entire
experiment). As the temperature increases from 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, all the way to
35°C, the rate of reaction (mg/s) will increase as well, particularly four times as much from
when temperature was 15°C to when the temperature is 35°C. Based on background
information, there is scientific data from Chem Guide that supports this theory that the
temperature does have a positive correlation to the rate of reaction.

Variables

Independent variable = Temperature of Sulfuric acid (15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, and 35°C).

Dependent variable = Rate of reaction when mixed with copper carbonate (obtained by
measuring the time it takes for copper carbonate to dissolve using a stopwatch, then use
that as a divisor for reactant used up, so it’s [amount of reactant used up]/[time].)

Controlled variable
Controlled variable Specific method on how to keep it
constant
Amount of copper carbonate Measure using a digital scale. Use a
chemically useful small spoon to pick the
compound up and transfer it lightly to a
small glass plate until it reaches a certain
weight, which in this case is 0.1g or 100mg.

5
"Uses Of Copper Sulphate For Agriculture, Industry And Medicine." European Copper Institute.
N. p., 2019. Web. 10 May 2019. copperalliance.org.uk/about-copper/copper-compounds/uses-
copper-sulphate/
 Amount of sulfuric acid Measure using a measuring cylinder,
poured from a container until it reaches a
certain height, which in this case is 5mL.
Concentration of sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid can be dangerous in high
concentration (more on that in the safety
considerations section). One of the
handlers of sulfuric acid gave a low
concentration of sulfuric acid, so unless
mixed with distilled water, which is not done
in this experiment, this variable will stay
stable.
Surface area of copper carbonate The copper carbonate that was used was
already in powdered form. There is no need
to do anything towards the copper
carbonate to change its surface area as it
already is in a state from the bottle it came
in.

Apparatus

Materials & Equipment Quantity (+uncertainty and unit

measurement if possible)
Copper carbonate 1 bottle (10 grams, ±0,05 g)
Sulfuric acid 1 bottle (100 ml, ±0ml) (*low concentration)
Beaker 1, small to medium size
Measuring cylinder 1, small and any brand is fine
Test tube 3 (but 5 was given), any size is fine but
preferably small
Digital balance/scale 1, any size and brand is acceptable
Thermometer 1, any size and brand is acceptable
(preferably small)
Stopwatch 1, small and any brand is acceptable
Hot plate 1, medium size to big if possible, any brand
is fine
Ice bath 4 ice cylinders in a plastic container, any
brand is fine
[add set-up diagram and the pctr]

Method

Procedure =
1. Pour sulfuric acid from the bottle to a container, namely the beaker, until it’s at least
three quarters full. This is done as to not repeat this step again because the
compound ran out.
2. From the beaker, pour the transferred sulfuric acid into the measuring cylinder until it
reaches 5mL.
3. From the measuring cylinder, pour the sulfuric acid again but this time into the test
tube. Repeat from step two until 3 test tubes contain sulfuric acid.
4. Once three test tubes have sulfuric acid inside, put them in a container, a small one
so that they all stay somewhat upright and not tilted if the test tubes are going to be
put on the hot plate, and a big one that has ice cylinders inside if the test tubes are
going to be put on ice bath.
5. Put the thermometer inside one of the test tubes until it reaches a certain degree.
- If the test tubes are on the hot plate, until it reaches 35°C
- If the test tubes are on the ice bath, until it reaches either 25°C, 20°C, or 15°C,
depending on which increment is being run. (the 30°C increment is room
temperature, so no need to put the test tubes on the hot plate or ice bath. Just
leave them on the regular carrier they are usually on that is not heated or cooled.)
6. Usually it will take some time until it reaches a certain temperature, so while waiting,
place the small glass plate on the digital balance, modify the state of the weight to 0,
and spoon some copper carbonate from the bottle to the small glass plate until the
digital balance weight state shows 00,10 g. Alternatively, just put the copper
carbonate without resetting the weight state to 0 until it reaches 00,10 g above the
original weight before the pouring of copper carbonate. For example, if the weight
scale before measuring is 23,78 g, pour until it reaches 23,88 g (note that if there is a
minus symbol before the number, count down until it is 00,10 g below the original
weight before the pouring. For example, if the scale before measuring shows -13,27
g, pour until it shows -13,17 g).
7. When the test tubes are on the right temperature, pour in the measured copper
carbonate in and start the stopwatch. Stop the stopwatch when every part of the
copper carbonate inside the sulfuric acid has been dissolved. Write down the results.
 Repeat from step 6 until all 3 test tubes (because 3 trials) have been timed. Repeat
from step 5 until every increment has been tested and the result table for raw data is
complete.

During the experiment, there were a couple of risks that had to be taken into
consideration, which :
- One of the increments of the independent variable was 35°C, which would
require a hot plate for the sulfuric acid to get to that temperature. Touching the
heated part of the surface of a hot plate could cause painful burns in the hand.
Caution when near a hot plate is to be taken, as it should.
- In high concentrations, sulfuric acid can be highly dangerous towards the human
body because of its corrosiveness and can cause serious injuries if not handled
with extreme care at all levels. To handle that, one of the chemist teachers gave
sulfuric acid that is low in concentration, so it is far less dangerous to the human
body but should be handled with care. To take extra steps to ensure safety in
handling sulfuric acid, gloves will be worn, because the chances of sulfuric acid
(particularly in this type of experiment which requires a significant amount of
pouring or transferring sulfuric acid from a container to another) getting on the
hands is much higher than anywhere else on the body.
- Handling glass must be with care as well. Dropping glass on accident can cause
it to break, and with liquid on gloves, it makes the glass that is held more likely to
fall as the gloves are slippery. Sulfuric acid usually dries in due time, though. A
broken test tube or beaker or measuring cylinder is not only a burden to pay
back, but hard to clean and can hurt other people. To handle this, be careful
around glass.

Raw data table

Time it took for copper carbonate to dissolve in sulfuric acid

(s) (uncertainty = 0.5s)
Temperature of Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
sulfuric acid
35°C 35 40 29
30°C 46 52 54
 25°C 67 64 65
20°C 91 78 86
15°C 119 125 131

Processed data table

Temperature of Average time it Uncertainty (s) The rate of

sulfuric acid took for CaCO3 to reaction
dissolve in H2SO4 (+uncertainty)
(s)

35°C 34,67 ±5,67 2,88 mg/s (±0,57)

30°C 50,67 ±4,67 1,97 mg/s (±0,2)
25°C 65,33 ±1,67 1,53 mg/s (±0,04)
20°C 85 ±7 1,18 mg/s (±0,09)
15°C 125 ±6 0.8 mg/s (±0,04)

To process the data, average the time it takes for copper carbonate to dissolve in sulfuric
acid from the three trials by summing them up and then dividing by 3. For example, if the
result from the trial is 14,15, and 16, is 15. Then, add the uncertainty by taking said
calculated average time and comparing it to the highest or lowest difference. The uncertainty
of the example above is ±1, because that is the highest difference of the trial results from the
mean (average). Finally, to get the rate of reaction, divide the average time that was
calculated from the amount of reactant that was used, which was 100mg. Taking the
example above, the rate of reaction would be 100/15 which is 6,67 mg/s. The uncertainty of
the rate of reaction would be adding or subtracting the average time calculated by the
uncertainty and then dividing it from the amount of reactant used up. Again, taking the
example above, the uncertainty would be 6,67 – 100/16 or 100/14 – 6,67 which is 7,14 –
6,67 or 6,67 – 6,25 which would both be around 0,47 and 0,42. To be sure, the bigger the
calculated uncertainty the more accurate a graph would be to actuality.
Graph

The temperature of sulfuric acid vs. rate of

reaction when mixed with copper carbonate.
5 y = 0.099x - 0.803 y = 0.0735x - 0.2625 y = 0.1345x - 1.2575
R² = 0.9532
Rate of reaction when mixed with

R² = 1 R² = 1
3
copper carbonate

-1 12 17 22 27 32 37

Temperature of sulfuric acid

Series1 Series2 Series3
Linear (Series1) Linear (Series2) Linear (Series3)

(equation of each series is located above, in uniform with how the series are arranged below
the x-axis title)

Legend:
1. Series 1 = Best-fit line – Blue
2. Series 2 = Minimum line – Orange
3. Series 3 = Maximum line – Green

Conclusion & Evaluation

From the graph above, there shows an increase in the rate of reaction when sulfuric acid is
mixed with copper carbonate as the temperature of that sulfuric acid increases. The
principles of chemistry supports this graph, as with what was previously discussed, based on
Chem Guide, for every 10°C rise in temperature, the rate of reaction doubles, meaning they
happen twice as fast (if the amount of reactant used up or the product produced stays the
same for the entire experiment). Although the maximum line follows this principle the best
and not the best-fit line like it should, the article also said technically that there is an
uncertainty of ±1°C. The best-fit line can fit the description of the chemistry principle in topic
with that uncertainty acknowledged. The graph, therefore, shows a positive relationship
between the horizontal and vertical axis.
The equation of the best fit line shows that when the temperature of the sulfuric acid is 10°C,
the rate of reaction when 100mg of copper carbonate is mixed with it is 0,099*10 – 0,803,
which is 0,19 mg/s, and a 5°C increase would increase the rate of reaction to 0,099*15 –
0,803, which is 0,68 mg/s. Although this is not fit when compared with the processed data
table, but then again, this is a best-fit line, meaning that this is the average of the data that
was put in, which means the equation that it puts up differs, although not by far, from the
original calculated processed data. In addition, to interpret the y-intercept, if the temperature
of the sulfuric acid is 0°C, the rate of reaction when 100mg of copper carbonate is mixed in
with that sulfuric acid is -0,803 mg/s. This shows that there is an error within either the
execution of the experiment or in data graphing, since it is impossible to make more copper
carbonate when mixed with even cold sulfuric acid. The lowest that the rate of reaction can
go is 0 mg/s, which states that the reactant is not used up at all or no product is produced.

In the experiment, there was a couple of systematic and random errors that were
unintentionally done. A systematic error is a faulty usage in using a measurement device,
and a random error is precision limitations in a measuring device, which likely both
happened during the experiment. Based on the obtained graph, it shows that while using a
measurement device, something may have gone wrong, as shown by the graph compared to
the processed data. Also, it shows that a measuring device had limitations in precision,
which is hinted by the graph not being as clear or precise as it could be. The minimum and
maximum line differs significant enough from the best-fit line that it shows at least one
random error and systematic error in the experiment.

The 𝑅 2 value is the correlation coefficient of the graph, squared. A perfect linear relationship
between the x-axis and the y-axis would have a correlation coefficient of 1, which, when
squared, will still be 1. The lower the strength of a linear relationship, however, the lower the
correlation coefficient. Squaring it would get an even lower value. Based on the graph
above, the minimum and maximum line have an 𝑅 2 value of 1, meaning they showed a
perfectly linear relationship, and the strength of the relationship is maximum, as it should be
when dealing with minimum and maximum lines. The best-fit line, however, showed a value
of 0,9532, which does not indicate a perfectly linear relationship like the minimum and
maximum lines, but they do indicate a very strong correlation between the temperature of
the sulfuric acid and the rate of reaction when it is mixed with copper carbonate. The
correlation coefficient of the graph, therefore, is √0,9532 which would be 0,9763. This
represents a very strong relationship between the two variables on the graph.
The hypothesis, based on all the information above, is correct. It is supported by all
interpreted information that came from the graph. Because the graph shows an increase in
the amount of copper carbonate dissolved in sulfuric acid as the temperature of that sulfuric
acid increases supports the hypothesis that as the temperature of sulfuric acid gradually
increases, the rate of reaction value will get bigger as well. The equation of the best-fit line
and minimum and maximum line aligns with the theory mentioned. Not only that, from the 𝑅 2
value of the best-fit line, it shows that even if the strength of the relationship is not perfectly
linear, it is incredibly close to be a perfectly linear relationship. From that value, it is shown
that the correlation between the temperature of sulfuric acid and the rate of reaction when
mixed with copper carbonate in the horizontal and vertical axis on the graph is very strong.
Besides that, the relationship is positive, based on the trendline of the graph, further
strengthening the validity of the hypothesis.

Based on the error bars above, the rate of reaction results can differ up to ±2 mg/s. Because
of that, comparing it to the processed and even the raw data, there shows no outliers. There
are some data points in the raw data table that differ from the average data from the
processed data table which makes for a higher uncertainty, but it does not count as an
outlier. Outside the method, there is an aspect of washing the test tubes with water to rid the
mix of cupric sulphate (the original container and the measuring cylinder does not need to be
washed because they only serve purpose for the sulfuric acid transfer device and
measurement, meaning they do not ever come in contact with copper carbonate, unlike the
test tubes) and immediately using them again, which is done more than a few times during
the experiment. This may result in a flaw of the validity and reliability of the experiment’s
method, because when the test tubes are not dried or wiped cleanly, they may change the
concentration of sulfuric acid when the substance is poured into those test tubes.

Other than method and use of equipment, another important aspect of the experiment to
evaluate is the quality of data and time management. The data collected (the ones that were
located on the raw data table) was rounded off to the nearest second. This means that the
general data was generalized from two decimal points (the original data on the stopwatch) to
no decimal points (data that was rounded off and put in the raw data table). This can limit the
precision of data collected. Also, time management during the experiment was not put to as
good of a use as possible. The method focuses on convenience and memory-friendly steps
such as only using three test tubes at a time instead of utilizing the entire 5 test tubes that
were given. This type of method is not fully managing time as tight as possible, as a result.
Other parts of the method and the execution of the experiment went well, however. The hot
plate that was used in the experiment was a shared one, so by the time the test tubes are
ready to be put on the hot plate, it was already warmed up and thus time was not wasted on
that part. Other than those difficulties encountered during the experiment, nothing else really
went wrong. Overall, time management could be a little better, but it was still enough to
produce a good enough result. In terms of data quality, the data round-off from the
stopwatch was only one mistake but it resulted in changes all the way to the limitations in
graph precision. Below is the table on suggestions for improvements based on the things
that went wrong and how that affected the data as a result:

Possible sources of errors Effect on the data Suggestions for

Test tubes that were stained
with water. Between every
trial of every increment, the
cupric sulfate must be
removed, and the test tubes
are cleaned with water to rid
of any significant trace of
copper carbonate. Since
there was not enough time
to let it dry and the
researcher did not think of
wiping it clean with a piece
of cloth or toilet paper from
a bathroom near the lab, the
water just stays inside while
being used again and again.
Therefore, the water affects
the concentration of sulfuric
acid that is poured into it.
Even though the copper
carbonate is already in
powdered form, some lumps
are still there. There was a
clear inconsistency of
copper carbonate inside the
bottle in terms of their
Enough drops of water were
present inside the test tubes
to affect the concentration of
the sulfuric acid beyond the
uncertainty. This had an
effect, however small, on
the time it took for copper
carbonate to dissolve in
sulfuric acid because its
concentration is not the
same. The raw data,
therefore, is affected, as
well as processed data. It is
not a major significance
towards the change, so the
graph was not changed in
appearance, fortunately.
Taking more time to
dissolve in sulfuric acid and
can vary from each trial of
each increment, the results
from the data table and the
processed table is affected.
Unfortunately, its effect is
improvement
A cloth should be prepared
next time. If that is not
present, get some toilet
paper from a near
bathroom. Get a strong
enough piece of toilet paper
to make sure that the piece
of paper will not be torn and
stuck inside the test tube,
making the execution of the
experiment harder. A cloth
would be better since it
cannot be torn to pieces
unless done intentionally,
and even then it will still
come out of the test tube
easily.
The best and most
convenient way of solving
this problem is to next time,
when dealing with
inconsistency of surface
area in a powdered form of
a substance, prepare a sifter
surface area. Some can be
undoubtedly called copper
carbonate powder, but there
are also a significant
number of lumps within that
bottle, mixed with the
powder. This results in
inconsistency in time when
mixing it with sulfuric acid,
due to bigger surface area
on copper carbonate which
takes longer to dissolve in
sulfuric acid.
Test tubes in container
effected the temperature
when put in hot plate and
(without container) ice bath.
When using a hot plate, the
test tubes need to be held in
a container so that they do
not automatically fall and
spill sulfuric acid around the
table. Because of this, one
of the test tubes can be
tilted and none of them,
unless some soft padding is
readily available, could
stand up completely
straight. Not only that,
without padding readily
available, the test tubes also
tilted when put in the ice
bath, and that was already
filled with four identical ice
cylinders wrapped in plastic.
This causes the temperature carbonate discussed above.
higher than the previous
one, because every scoop
of copper carbonate may
contain lumps and some
may not, which can lead to
the inconsistency of the
graph that effects its
appearance. All parts of the
data are affected, although
not heavily, because of this
error.
When temperatures of the
same compound are tested
for the same reaction, their
result will be different.
Because this was the case,
the difference between trials
could be partially explained
by this error of inconsistency bath) still and straight. A tool
between temperature of
sulfuric acid. The
uncertainty of the average of would be a kitchen sponge,
each increment could be
partially be because of the
discrepancy between the
temperatures of sulfuric acid
as well. This would, as a
result, influence the raw and
processed data table, and
slightly altering the
appearance of the graph,
however not as big as the
lumps from copper
to sift the powder from the
lumps. This only requires
one more tool that is
common in a lot of places
and is cost-efficient, as
alternatives such as
sourcing better compounds
are more time-inefficient and
cost-inefficient than just
getting and using a fine
sifter.
One of the ways to prevent
this error is to, as previously
mentioned, prepare
beforehand some soft but
firm paddings that will hold
the test tubes (and ice
cylinders when using the ice
that would fit this soft but
firm padding description
which is soft so it can fit into
numerous situations well,
but it may not be firm
enough to hold all objects
still and straight to get
maximum precision out of
the other tools used. Aside
from that, there is also the
aspect of it melting due to
hot plates that can destroy
the sponge and thus ruining
 of the test tubes to be at least part of the
different from each other. experiment.

References / Bibliography

Studios, Andrew. "Chem4kids.Com: Reactions: Rates Of Reaction." Chem4kids.com. N. p.,

2019. Web. 10 May 2019. www.chem4kids.com/files/react_rates.html

"Sulfuric Acid: Uses Of Sulfuric Acid | Infoplease." InfoPlease. N. p., 2019. Web. 10 May 2019.
www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/chemistry/elements/sulfuric-acid/uses-of-sulfuric-acid

"The Effect Of Temperature On Rates Of Reaction." Chemguide.co.uk. N. p., 2019. Web. 10 May
2019. www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/temperature.html

"Uses Of Copper Sulphate For Agriculture, Industry And Medicine." European Copper Institute.
N. p., 2019. Web. 10 May 2019. copperalliance.org.uk/about-copper/copper-compounds/uses-
copper-sulphate/

"What Is Copper Carbonate Used For? - Highettmetal.Com.Au." Highettmetal.com.au. N. p.,

2019. Web. 10 May 2019. www.highettmetal.com.au/blog/copper/what-is-copper-carbonate-
used-for