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Background: The Iodine Clock reaction is a famous reaction that many students have studied in kinetics (the
study of reaction rates.) It is easily manipulated by temperature changes and concentration changes. In this
virtual lab, you will be using a computer program that replicates the Iodine Clock reaction without the use of
strong acids.
Materials:
1 laptop computer per group
1 lab worksheet per person
Procedure:
1. Go to this link:
http://www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/flashfiles/kinetics2/iodine_clock.ht
ml
2. Once you have reached this site, you should see a picture of four graduated cylinders, a beaker, a timer,
and five different factors. You will be manipulating the factors according to the data table below.
3. Take a look at the data tablethere will be 15 different trials, each with a different combination of
factors. For each trial, follow this set of directions:
a. Click the button for the appropriate temperature, amount of H2O, amount of KI, and amount of
(NH4)2S2O8.
b. Press Start. Once all of the graduated cylinders have been emptied and the level of fluid in the
beaker has stopped rising, press the Play button under the Timer.
c. Once the fluid has turned to a darker color, press the Pause button, now under the Timer.
d. Record this time (in minutes and seconds) in the appropriate box of the data table.
e. Press Reset to start your next trial.
c. What is the total volume for all of the reactant sets? Why must the total volume be the same?
(Think about what you are comparing and changing.)
d. Two combinations of reactants produced similar results. Do they have any quantities in
common? Compare their quantities of KI and of (NH 4)2S2O8. What relationship do these have
with each other?
e. Consider your graph. Compare the time until reaction for the fastest and slowest reactant
combinations for each temperature. How much faster was the fastest trial than the slowest, for
each temperature?
f. Use the Arrhenius equation to determine activation Energy
Ea 1
ln k = . + ln A
R T
g. Obtain the order of reaction with respect to I - ions and S2O8 2- ions using your own generated
table
h.