Decomposition kinetics of hydrogen peroxide: novel lab experiments employing computer technology

摘要

The quantitative decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalyst 2H_2O_2(aq)-> 2H_2O(1) +O_2(g) (1) has been used in many general chemistry experiments (1-4) to: (i) generate oxygen gas to study its properties, (ii) study the gas laws, (iii) determine the proportionality constant, R, in the ideal gas equation, (iv) examine the stoichiometry of the decomposition, (v) investigate the role of an enzyme and temperature in this process, and (vi) find the rate and order of the decomposition. The typical procedure involves measuring the volume of oxygen produced in the reaction (eq 1) under constant pressure, usually by water displacement, following with the calculations of a wanted unknown.