Practical investigations
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Hello, I am investigating the effect of changing concentration on the order of the reaction. I am a bit confused about the quantities of reactants to be used. I am investigating whether the order of the reaction changes as the concentration changes in the reaction between sulphuric acid and magnesium, and I am not certain if I should use a excess of acid or an excess of magnesium.
Corrie writes ....
It depends what method you are using to follow the reaction. If you a using the time for a piece of Mg to disappear in acid (then rate is proportional to 1/time), you must use an exces of acid so that you can assume that the acid concentration is constant virtually throughout the reaction. Then you repeat the experiment at several other concentrations, all using excess acid.
Have you seen our tutorials on Metal + Acid Investigations. There is lots of advice there. You can find them by following the 'Practical Investigations' link on the Re:act Homepage.
Risk assessment
Before attempting any practical work based on the advice and suggestions on this website, you must do the following. Identify any hazards, assess the risks from these hazards, and then decide appropriate control measures to reduce the risks. You must have these approved by those in authority in your school or college laboratory. Do not rely on what is said on this website.
For further guidance see our tutorial on Risk Assessment.
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updated: 18 December 2007
