Summary of Chemistry Textbook Section 7.

1: Rates of Reaction
- Rate of reaction: defined as the change of concentration of reactants or products with time

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- Negative sign is needed at the start of the expression to ensure that the rate of reaction has
a positive value
- If the change of concentration of products with time is being measured, then

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Experimental methods for measuring rate of reaction
- Range of experimental methods can be used to measure the rate of a reaction
- Method chosen depends very much on the nature of the reaction itself
A change in gas volume or a change in mass:
o If the reaction produces a gas, this gas will escape as the reaction progresses
Titrimetric analysis:
o Small samples of the reaction mixture can be removed at regular intervals and the
reaction in the sample stopped or slowed significantly by a procedure called
quenching
o Quenching may be achieved by adding ice-cold water or stopping the reaction by
adding another reagent
o The concentration of a reactant or product can be determined by titration
A change in gas pressure:
o If the equipment is available, a gaseous reaction can be monitored by measuring the
change in gas pressure using a gas pressure sensor
o In this case the volume must be kept constant, as should the temperature
Colorimetry:
o This method is particularly useful when one of the reactants or products is coloured
o The colour of the reaction mixture will change with time and a colorimeter can be
used to monitor the depth of colour in the mixture
o A colorimeter passes light through the reaction mixture
A change in electrical conductivity:
o If ions are produced or used up during a reaction, the electrical conductivity will
change
A change in light absorption:
o If reactants and products have a different colour, the time taken for the reaction to
change colour could be measured