What is the effect of increasing the surface area of the calcium carbonate
added to hydrochloric acid on the change in mass of the solution?
Background information:
This experiment will investigate how increasing the surface area of calcium carbonate
added to hydrochloric acid affects the change in mass of the solution. For a reaction to
occur, particles must collide, the energy of the particles colliding need to be greater
than the activation energy (minimum energy required for the reaction to occur) and in
the correct orientation. This is known as particle collision theory, which states that
chemical reactions happen only when reactant particles collide with sufficient energy
to react. Increasing the surface area leads to a higher reaction rate. This is because a
greater surface area exposes more particles of calcium carbonate to hydrochloric acid,
causing more successful collisions per second. With an increased collision frequency,
the reaction rate goes up, resulting in a greater change in mass.
The equation for the experiment is:
CaCO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq) → CaCl2 (aq) + H2O (l) + CO2 (g)
Variables
Type of variable How it is controlled
Dependant The dependant variable of the experiment is the change in mass
of the solution
Independent The independent variable is the surface area of the calcium
carbonate, and to increase the surface area, the mass of the
calcium carbonate will be changed.
control The control variable will be the concentration, temperature of the
hydrochloric acid and water. The concentration of the
hydrochloric acid will be kept at 50 cm^3 and the temperature
will be kept at room temperature.
Materials:
● Hydrochloric acid (1ML)
● Calcium carbonate
● Stopwatch
● Conical Flask
● Scales
● Stirring rod
● Measuring cylinder
● Beaker
● Cotton balls
● Goggles
● Weight boat
Procedure:
1. Place a weight boat on the scale and tare it to zero. Weigh precisely 2g of
calcium carbonate chips using the tared weight boat.
2. Remove the weight boat from the scales.
3. Position a conical flask on the scales. Using a measuring cylinder, measure
50cm³ of 1M HCl and carefully pour it into the conical flask.
4. Add the pre-weighed 2g of calcium carbonate chips into the flask. Place a cotton
ball on the flask opening.
5. Record the initial mass of the setup and promptly start the timer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir the mixture continuously for thorough mixing during the reaction period.
7. Stop the timer after 5 minutes and measure the final mass of the solution in the
conical flask.
8. Record all data accurately and organize it in a data table format.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 two more times to ensure consistency and reliability of the
results.
10. Conduct additional trials by increasing the mass of calcium carbonate to 4g, 6g,
8g, and 10g, while following the same procedure from steps 1 to 9.
Risk
Hazard Risk How to prevent it
Glass breakage Cuts due to incorrect Handle it with care. Always hold
handling of glassware firmly and never with wet
glassware. or slippery hands.
Chemical spillage Causes serious eye Wear safety goggles, use gloves and
and skin irritation. wear appropriate clothing
throughout the experiment
Heavy masses (scales) Dropped onto Take care when handling heavy
toes/fingers equipment such as masses, make
sure to carry with two hands.
Data collection method
1. Calculation of Change in Mass
○ Calculate the change in mass by finding the difference between the initial
mass and the final mass of each flask following the reaction.
2. Data Table Construction
○ Compile the data points, including the mass changes for each amount of
calcium carbonate used and the corresponding reaction times, into a
structured data table.
3. Graph Plotting
○ Create a "Change in Mass vs. Time" graph with five curves, each
representing a different amount of calcium carbonate.
○ Plot the data points on the graph to visually represent the relationship
between the change in mass and reaction time for each trial.
4. Rate of Reaction Determination
○ Calculate the slope of each curve on the "Change in Mass vs. Time" graph
to determine the rate of reaction for every mass of calcium carbonate
tested.
5. Rate vs. Time Graph
○ Plot the calculated slopes (rate of reaction) for each amount of calcium
carbonate on a new graph titled "Rate vs. Time."
○ Analyze the plotted data to observe how the rate of reaction varies with
time for different masses of calcium carbonate.
