gcsescience.com 3 gcsescience.com
How Can the Rate of any Chemical Reaction be Measured?
The rate of a chemical
reaction can vary greatly.
A reaction may be very slow,
for example rusting,
or very fast, for example a firework
exploding.
The rate of a reaction can be measured by following
the loss of a reactant or the formation of a product.
Rate of reaction
= amount of reactant used ÷ time
or
Rate of reaction =
amount of product formed ÷ time.
The amount of a reactant
that is used or
the amount of a product that is formed
can be plotted against time
and shown as a graph.
The gradient of the
plot
(the steepness of the slope)
shows the rate of the reaction
(how fast it is going).
The following three
reactions may
be studied
to show
how the rate of
the reaction can be measured
or changed.
1) The reaction
between calcium
carbonate and dilute hydrochloric acid.
2) The reaction
between
dilute
hydrochloric acid and sodium
thiosulfate
solution.
3) The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide solution.
Links Catalysts and Energy Enzymes Revision Questions
gcsescience.com The Periodic Table Index Reaction Rate Quiz gcsescience.com
Home GCSE Chemistry GCSE Physics
Copyright © 2015 gcsescience.com. All Rights Reserved.