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Some students investigated the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 9 - 2019 - Paper 2

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Some students investigated the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2. The equation for the reaction is: 2H2O2(aq) → 2H2O(l) + O2(g) The catalyst for the... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Some students investigated the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 9 - 2019 - Paper 2

Step 1

Describe a test to identify the gas produced in the reaction.

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Answer

To identify the gas produced (which is oxygen), a glowing splint can be used. When the glowing splint is placed in the presence of the gas, it will re-ignite, confirming that oxygen is present.

Step 2

What two improvements could student A make to the method to give valid results?

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  1. Place the conical flask in a water bath at constant temperature.

  2. Use a mass of 1 g manganese dioxide each time.

Step 3

Determine the mean rate of reaction in cm³/s between 2 and 4 minutes for coarse manganese dioxide lumps.

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Answer

From Figure 9, the volume of gas produced at 2 minutes is 11 cm³ and at 4 minutes is 30 cm³. The increase in volume over this 2-minute interval is:

30cm311cm3=19cm330 \, cm³ - 11 \, cm³ = 19 \, cm³

The mean rate of reaction is calculated as:

Volume changeTime=19cm3120seconds=0.1583cm3/s\frac{\text{Volume change}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{19 \, cm³}{120 \, seconds} = 0.1583 \, cm³/s

Rounded to two significant figures, the result is:

0.16cm3/s0.16 \, cm³/s

Step 4

Sketch on Figure 9 the curve you would expect to see.

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A sketch should show a rising curve that approaches the volume of 40 cm³ as time progresses, leveling off after 9 minutes, indicating that the reaction has reached completion.

Step 5

Explain why the rate of reaction is different when manganese dioxide is used as a fine powder rather than coarse lumps.

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Answer

The rate of reaction is greater with fine manganese dioxide powder due to a larger surface area available for collisions between hydrogen peroxide molecules and manganese dioxide particles. This increased surface area leads to more frequent collisions, resulting in a higher rate of reaction.

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